


Once In Harm's Way

by Admiral6



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Pirates, The Royal Navy, United States Navy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2018-12-18 00:03:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11862447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Admiral6/pseuds/Admiral6
Summary: Captain Regina Mills, U.S. Navy, is being sent on a mission to hunt down high-tech pirates in the North Atlantic. Her new tactical officer, Emma Swan, may prove to be too much of a distraction.





	1. The Day Before

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, long story behind this tale.
> 
> When I first started getting into reading SwanQueen fics I came across several with the pirate theme, where either Regina or Emma is a pirate captain and the relationship unfolds in the middle of a pirate adventure. Okay, normally that would really appeal to me, but then I start reading, and while the SwanQueen parts are fine, in literally only one instance has the pirate adventure part of it borne any serious similarity to actual piracy in the age of sail. And I get that "the point is SQ, so who cares?" Well, I'm a Naval Enthusiast, and Piracy is part of naval history and naval warfare, so I care. (shrug)
> 
> With that in mind, I decided that if I ever started writing SQ I would try to write a pirate story that would be a good ship (get it? get it???) but also get the background and environment as accurate as possible. I came up with two ideas, one set in the age of sail and one set in modern times.
> 
> This is the one set in modern times. For those who share my interest in all things on the high seas, that starts in earnest in the next chapter, though this one is a lead in. For those of you who just want All SwanQueen All The Time, this chapter is mostly just SwanQueen family drama, so enjoy! It's a bit long so settle in...

**Chesapeake** **, Virginia**

 

Waking up was Emma’s favorite time of day...at least when she was in this bed.

 

The reason why was still slumbering a few inches away, facing away from her, tucked into thin sheets that showed every sexy curve. Emma smiled as she inched herself closer, gaze focused on the mass of shoulder-length brunette hair she loved running her fingers through. When their bodies were so close she could feel her lover breathing softly, Emma reached her hand out and traced the outline of the covered form with her index finger, starting with the shoulder, then down the torso to the waist, then she opened her palm and gently cupped it on the curve of the brunette’s hip. That touch inspired stirring and soft sighing, and Emma bit her lower lip in anticipation of fun times to come…

 

...until a contralto, sultry voice said clearly, “Restrain yourself, Miss Swan.”

 

Emma put on her innocent voice. “I am restrained. See? I’m just touching your hip.” Then her hand started slowly rubbing the hip. “See? Just rubbing your hip.” Emma grinned as her hand started to drift rearward. “See? I’m just rubbing…”

 

Regina sighed and rolled onto her back and turned her gaze to her girlfriend. “You were _just_ keeping your hands to yourself. Honestly, Emma, you had your way with me all night. You’d think you’d be satisfied with that.”

 

“Oh no, Regina…” Emma said, “...satisfaction implies that I’ve had enough, and I could never get enough of you…” She emphasized this by moving her hand to Regina’s stomach and slowly, gently sliding it down, taking the sheet with it.

 

Regina closed her eyes and suppressed a moan. It was so unfair. She considered herself a confident, in-control woman, but the slightest contact from Emma and no matter what her intellect tried to say, her body would go, _Emma touching! Emma touching! Must surrender!_ That’s exactly what it was doing now, as the movement of Emma’s hand threatened to expose her naked breasts. Not for the first time, she found herself amazed at how quickly she had fallen for this woman, and how hard.

 

But she couldn’t let her desires control her today of all days, so she mustered all the willpower she could and used it to grab Emma’s hand in both of hers before Emma’s fingers reached _there_ and made it utterly impossible for Regina to resist. She also slid a few inches away for good measure. “No, Emma! I love you, but if we get started like this we’ll never get out of bed.”

 

“Would that be so bad?” Emma said, adding an innocent face to her innocent voice.

 

_Damn her,_ Regina thought. The one-two innocent punch made her waver, but she held firm. “Any other day, but not today. You know how important it is for me…”

 

“But we have all day. Can’t we just take a little time for ‘us’ this morning?”

 

“We had all night for us. Today belongs to Henry, and I want to devote as much time to him as I can. Surely you can understand that…”

 

Emma sighed and drew her hand away. “Of course I do.” She looked away for a moment, lost in thought, then she turned back and smiled. “Can I have a kiss? Just a good morning kiss? Shouldn’t take long at all. I promise, no hands.” She tucked her hands behind her back as she said that.

 

Regina looked at her suspiciously, but then thought, _What harm could one kiss do?_ She slid closer to Emma so their lips could touch. The kiss was light, mouths closed, lips puckered, barely a second of contact, but that contact inspired a second light kiss, then a longer third one. Both mouths opened slightly the fourth time, then wider on the fifth...then counting stopped as before they knew it Regina and Emma were in a passionate, erotic liplock, moaning into each other’s mouths and reaching for each other’s bodies.

 

It was when Emma began to fondle her breasts that Regina realized what was happening. Again she mustered her will and slid away from Emma and all the way out of bed, breaking the kiss as abruptly as possible. She stood up straight and backed away from the bed about a foot before wagging a finger at Emma and saying, “You promised, no hands!”

 

Emma took a moment to appreciate Regina’s beautiful naked form before responding. “I had my fingers crossed. It doesn’t count if your fingers are crossed.”

 

Regina smiled. “Oh, I see...well, now you’re going to stay in that bed until I get into the bathroom. That’s an _order,_ Lieutenant.”

 

Emma huffed. “So, you’re pulling rank in our relationship now, are you?”

 

“It’s obviously the only way to deal with your rampant insubordination.”

 

“That’s fair...and far be it from me to disobey a direct order...but…” She slid a little closer to the edge of the bed. “I wonder exactly how you’d punish me for disobeying this particular one…”

 

“An order is an order. I could bring you up on charges…”

 

“True...but that would be an interesting Captain’s Mast. You’d need witnesses to the offense, and character witnesses…”

 

“Summary judgment, then. No mast, no other parties. I just clap you in irons.”

 

Emma edged closer and slid the sheet off her own naked form. “Yeah, but eventually you’d have to explain to the Judge Advocate General’s office that you issued the order to your girlfriend...in your own bedroom...while you were both naked…”

 

“Emma, don’t….” Regina tried, but at this point Emma was sitting up on the edge of the bed and eyeing her like a cheetah stalking a gazelle.

 

“I’m not exactly sure that would go your way,” Emma said thoughtfully.

 

That was the moment Regina decided a good run was better than a faltering stance, so she turned and darted for the bathroom door just as Emma sprang up and came after her. She slammed the door behind her and locked it just before Emma got to it. Emma couldn’t stop, so the impact of her body hitting it was profound. “Ow!” Regina heard.

 

“Sorry, sweetie,” Regina called back.

 

“I’ll get you, my pretty,” Emma said, “you and your little dog, too.”

 

“I don’t have a dog,” Regina said. “You may have hit your head.”

 

“Come on, Regina, let me in.”

 

“No, I’m going to take a shower and you’re going to stay on the other side of this door and not turn me into your plaything.”

 

“If you let me in we can shower together.”

 

“Which would defeat the purpose of keeping you from ravishing me.”

 

“You know you want me to.”

 

“Which is a huge part of the problem. This keeps us both out of trouble.”

 

She heard Emma drumming her fingers on the door for a few seconds, then, “Well what if I have to pee? Are you going to make me wait until you’re done primping?”

 

“Okay, number one, I don’t take that long to primp...second of all, there’s a perfectly good half bath off the kitchen you can use.”

 

“Or,” Emma said slyly, “I could use _Henry’s_ bathroom. It’s closer. Gee...I hope it won’t be too much of a shock for him to see his mother’s butt-naked girlfriend walk through his bedroom…”

 

Regina huffed and unlocked and opened the door. She assumed Emma was kidding, but one of the things she loved about Emma was that she was actually unpredictable. Emma smiled at her - innocently - and she frowned. “Why are you always trying to corrupt my son?”

 

“I’m evil, obviously,” Emma said. “I’m using your weakness to make you my sex slave. Is it working?”

 

Regina sighed and raised her finger again. “We can shower together...but we will _actually_ shower. The mission is for us to get clean! Agreed?”

 

“Agreed.” Emma said.

 

“Promise me.”

 

“Promise!” Emma said.

 

“Show me both hands and say it again.”

 

Emma rolled her eyes and did jazz hands as she said, “I hereby promise I won’t do anything more sexual to your body than wash your back. Happy?”

 

Regina backed away from the door to let Emma all the way in. As she closed the door again she said to Emma, “I wish I could quit you…”

 

“No you don’t…” Emma said.

 

“You’re right...and again, this is our problem…”

 

* * *

  
  


Some time later Emma and Regina were cleaned and clothed - Emma in clothes borrowed from Regina’s wardrobe - and headed downstairs. Regina tied her loose hair up into a ponytail as they descended the stairs.

 

At the first floor landing they could see luggage sitting next to the front door, two large duffel bags and an overstuffed backpack. “Henry! You down here?” Regina called out.

 

“In the kitchen,” a raspy male voice called back.

 

“Geez, his man-voice is coming in strong…” Emma said.

 

“Don’t remind me,” Regina sighed as they went into the kitchen.

 

They found sixteen-year-old Henry Mills sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. Regina was exasperated. “Henry! I thought we were going to eat out for breakfast!”

 

“We are,” Henry said. “I’m just having a pre-breakfast snack. I had to do something while I was waiting for you two to get out of bed.” With that he smiled and waggled his eyebrows at Emma. “Heyyyy, Emma,” he said.

 

Emma waggled and smiled right back at him. “Heyyy, Henry…”

 

Regina wagged a finger at both of them. “See? That’s what I mean! Both of you stop that!”

 

“Stop what?” Emma said.

 

“We said ‘hey’!” Henry said with a shrug.

 

“It was the way you said it...like you were trading gossip. About Me. _Inappropriate_ gossip!”

 

“Oh, now Regina, I would never trade inappropriate gossip about you…”

 

“Wouldn’t you?”

 

Emma shrugged. “Not while you were in the room…”

 

“Why do I stay with you?”

 

“Do you really want me to answer that question in front of your son?”

 

Regina demurred. “Well...no…”

 

Henry got up to put his bowl in the sink as he said, “Anyway, Mom, you shouldn’t talk about us being inappropriate.”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“Look at how you’re dressed!”

 

Regina looked down and tugged at her red, sleeveless blouse. “What’s wrong with how I’m dressed?”

 

Henry pointed and said, “Just look at those booty shorts you’re wearing!”

 

Regina put her hands on her denim-clad hips and glared at him. “These are not ‘booty shorts!’”

 

“She’s right,” Emma said. “Those are actually hot pants. Booty shorts are cut higher.”

 

Regina turned to glare at Emma. “Don’t help.”

 

“Well whatever,” Henry said, “all I know is I’m going to develop some sort of complex with my own mother showing herself off like that.”

 

Regina frowned. “Oh, please...if you don’t want to get a complex, don’t ogle me. I’m your mother. Point your hormones at somebody else.”

 

“Okay, Mom,” Henry said with an exaggerated eyeroll. Then he smiled. “Ooh! Can I ogle Emma?”

 

“Sure, kid,” Emma said brightly. “Knock yourself out!” She then proceeded to Jordache-model the skinny jeans she was wearing.

 

Regina gave her an open-palmed smack on her behind. “Behave!”

 

“Ooh! S&M!” Henry said with enthusiasm.

 

Emma rubbed her butt and said breathily, “Your mom likes it rough…”

 

“I’M GOING TO BEHEAD BOTH OF YOU!” Regina yelled. It made Emma stand still and both Emma and Henry lower their heads and hide mischievous smirks. Then Regina calmed herself down and said, “But not today.”

 

“Because you love us,” Emma said sweetly.

 

“And because if I kill you today the police won’t let me leave tomorrow.”

 

“That’s something to consider,” Henry said. “I would gladly fake my death to make that happen…”

 

“Henry…!”

 

“I’m kidding, Mom. I know you have to go tomorrow…”

 

“And today is your day. Are you ready?”

 

“Yep. I’m all set.”

 

“I saw your bags at the door. You sure you have everything.”

 

“I’m sure.”

 

“Absolutely sure? It’s gonna be six months…”

 

“Mom, I don’t have to take absolutely everything with me. If there’s something I missed I can just come back and get it later.”

 

“You’ll be an hour away…”

 

“Grandma has a car. Heck, Grandma has four cars.”

 

“Your grandmother’s just as likely to buy you a new one of whatever it is,” Emma said.

 

“Refuse if she offers,” Regina said. “I don’t want you taking advantage of her.”

 

“It’s not taking advantage if she volunteers,” Henry said. “Anyway, I won’t have a chance to refuse. She just buys and says I’ll thank her later.”

 

Regina frowned, trying not to relive all the times she’d heard that phrase growing up. “Well, let’s get going. You’ve eaten, but we haven’t.”

 

Regina led everyone out of the kitchen and into the front hall. “Let’s get your bags in the car,” she said, reaching for the backpack.

 

“Hey!” Emma said. “Let’s take my car!”

 

Regina scoffed. “We are _so_ not taking your car.”

 

Emma pouted. “What’s wrong with my car?”

 

“Do you want the whole list or just the top ten?”

 

“It can’t be because you don’t like Volkswagens. You drive a Volkswagen.”

 

“I drive a 2016 certified pre-owned four-door Jetta with power everything. You drive a yellow Beetle that’s a refugee from the Herbie the Love Bug era.”

 

“That makes it a classic.”

 

“No, keeping it in good working order and pristine aesthetic condition makes it a classic. Your car is just junk.”

 

Emma gasped. “I don’t think I can stay with a woman who thinks such awful things about my baby.”

 

“What, love you, love your car?”

 

“Precisely.”

 

“Well in that case, it’s been real, Miss Swan, but we’re through.” Regina hefted the backpack onto her shoulder and walked out the front door, leaving Emma and Henry to grab a duffel each.

 

Emma grabbed one and rushed out after Regina. “Come on, Regina!” She called out. “We’re not through!”

 

“We’re also _not_ taking your car,” Regina said as she popped the trunk on hers with her keyholder.

 

Emma had a sudden insight. “That’s not your decision!”

 

Regina turned to her and raised an eyebrow. “Of course it is.”

 

Emma smiled and shook her head. “Not today. Today is Henry’s day, so it’s _Henry’s_ decision.”

 

“Seriously??”

 

Emma turned to Henry, who was just locking the front door. “Henry! Don’t you want to spend the day in a great little car with lots of sentimental value?”

 

“Absolutely!” Henry said. “It’ll be cool.”

 

“No, it won’t be cool,” Regina said. “It’s a hundred degrees out. That antique doesn’t have air conditioning.”

 

“You can roll down the windows,” Emma said.

 

“With hand cranks!”

 

Emma shrugged. “So you improve your grip strength.”

 

“Henry, the bug’s fifty years old and rusting.”

 

“So? That’s great! It’s old and been everywhere so it has character.”

 

“Yeah, character…” Emma said.

 

“Oh, you two are characters,” Regina said, “and you just keep ganging up on me. Fine. We’ll swelter in the bug all day. Get the bags in trunk.”

 

The trio lugged Henry’s bags to the front of the car where Emma opened up the trunk with her keys, then proceeded to stuff the baggage into the small space, and then fought to squeeze the hatch closed on top of it. After a minute or two of this battle she got the thing closed, then wiped some sweat off her brow and declared, “There. Easy-peasy.”

 

“Easy-peasy my foot,” Regina said. “That’s going to kill somebody when you try to open it again.”

 

Emma dismissed the concern with a wave as they walked up to the doors. Regina opened the passenger side and moved the seat so Henry could get in the back seat, then she felt the front seat. “Oh good...that’s going to be nice and scalding on the backs of my legs…”

 

“What?” Emma said. She opened the driver’s side and felt the seat. “It’s not that bad. The sun hasn’t been out for long.”

 

“You won’t feel it because you’re wearing jeans.

 

“Well who told you to squeeze into those hot pants and bare your legs?”

 

“You did, remember? You were leering at me and holding them up and telling me how hot I’d look in them.”

 

Emma winced. “Oh...yeah, I seem to remember that...hey, kid? My jacket’s in the back seat with you. Wanna lay it out on your mom's seat so she won't burn her legs?”

 

“Wait, Emma,” Regina said, “Your red leather jacket? That'll be hotter than the car seat.”

 

“Only the outside. Spread it out with the lining up, kid.”

 

“Got it, “ Henry said as he complied.

 

Emma watched through the driver’s side window until he was done, then smiled at Regina. “There. All safe and sound for your royal heinie.”

 

Regina half-smiled back, then sighed as she settled in through the passenger door. Emma watched this through the window as well, marveling at the curve of Regina’s ass and the shape and length of her bare legs. _Oh man,_ Emma thought, _if you weren't in the car, Henry..._ But he was, so Emma resigned herself to ogling Regina occasionally as she got in on the driver’s side and everyone buckled up. “Okay, Henry, it's your party  Where are we going?”

 

Henry used his smartphone to show her where. “We’re going to the War Museum in Newport News and the Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, then we'll catch _Wonder Woman_ before we head to Grandma's.”

 

“Wow,” Emma said, “dusty killing machines and a comic book movie. You sure know how to show a couple of girls a good time.”

 

“Gonna make a fine husband someday,” Regina quipped.

 

“And we can stop off at Mickey D’s for breakfast before we go to Newport News,” Henry said.

 

“Oh! Haute cuisine!” Emma said. “I’m swooning!”

 

“Swoon on your own time,” Regina said. “Let’s get going.”

 

“Your wish is my command.” Emma started the bug and pulled out of Regina’s driveway…

 

* * *

  
  


The National War Museum in Newport News was full of tanks and planes and other death dealers from both World Wars One and Two. Regina and Emma followed Henry through almost the whole museum as he examined each machine and spouted off details he knew by heart about all of them. Regina seemed mildly interested, but Emma knew her girlfriend’s real love was anything that floated. Emma didn’t see the appeal Sure, she had an interest from a technical standpoint - combat was her job, after all - but just that. She didn’t love ships like Regina or love tanks and planes like Henry. They were just tools to her, a means to achieve a violent end.

 

But she did love Henry like a son and she did love Regina like...like no one she’d ever met before, so she didn’t say anything about it. She was just happy to be in their company, so she followed along, not feining interest but not showing boredom either. Still, Henry must have picked up on her mood, because he tried to talk up the aviation museum. “They just got a new Liberator in from a collector in Arizona…”

 

“Liberator?” Emma said.

 

“It’s a WW2 bomber...and today’s air show is going to be propeller aircraft flown during Vietnam!”

 

“That does sound like fun,” Emma said, thinking, _Airplanes are targets!_

 

“You don’t have to encourage him too much,” Regina said. “The little monster’s thinking about joining the Air Force.”

 

Emma gasped. “Traitor!”

 

“What?” Henry said. “I like planes more than ships!”

 

“Y’know,” Regina said, “The Navy has airplanes too! Big, shiny ones that fly just as fast as Air Force planes.”

 

“Yeah, but in the Air Force they let you take off from nice, long runways on the ground. They don’t slingshot you off the front end of a big schooner!”

 

Now Regina gasped. “Did you just call a majestic, powerful, frontline instrument of national policy like an aircraft carrier a schooner? I don’t even know you anymore.”

 

“I’m your son...and you know you love me…”

 

“Yes, but if I have to see you walking around wearing sky blue and saying ‘Roger’ to everybody, I will only _like_ you a little bit.”

 

“Roger that, mom!”

 

Regina groaned and Emma and Henry laughed. “Relax, ‘Gina,” Emma said, “he can’t enlist until he’s eighteen. Two years is plenty of time to knock some sense into him.”

 

“I intend to get an early start…” Regina said through her teeth.

 

Their time at the Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach went much the same way as the previous stop while they waited for the air show to start, with Regina and Emma going along as Henry went nuts for the aircraft in the displays, commercial and military alike. People with tickets to the air show were called out to the museum airfield about five minutes before showtime. Seating was comprised of two stacks of long benches, five rows high. Regina, Emma and Henry sat in the middle row of one of the stacks, with Emma sitting between mother and son. A minute before the start of the show, when everyone was settled in, a man in a bomber jacket and sunglasses walked out of the museum hangar and out to the microphone set up to the side of the benches. He tapped it a couple of times, then, satisfied with the feedback, he put on a big smile and said like a carnival barker, “Gooooood afternoon ladies and gentlemen! My name is Thomas Reider and I’m the program coordinator at the Millennium Aviation museum, and I’d like to welcome you to the Props over Vietnam Air Show!”

 

Everyone cheered and applauded, everyone except Emma, who only applauded. She couldn’t even fake excitement over an air show. Fortunately, Henry didn’t seem to care. His attention was on mister announcer guy, and his mother was cheering right along with everyone else, showing solidarity for her boy. That meant Emma couldn’t get her to blow off the event and make out a little while everyone was distracted.

 

Oh well. She had to think of some other way to entertain herself until the show was over.

 

Mister Reider continued with his introduction. “Today we’re going to highlight four aircraft that have just been added to our collection. They were all major workhorses in the conlict in Vietnam, each one providing vital services in theater, including cargo transport, reconnaisance, close air support and fire support.” More cheering, as if the airplanes were actually soldiers returning from in-country. “All four have been painstakingly restored and maintained by aviation enthusiasts like you and me…” More applause, airplane nuts applauding themselves for being nuts. “...and they’re ready to strut their stuff.”

 

A deep, droning noise started to build up in the sky to the left of the stands. Mr. Reider glanced at hs watch, smiled and brought it home. “And now, without further ado, allow me to present...the OV-10 Bronco, the AC-130 ‘Spooky’ gunship, the C-47 Skytrain, and the A! One! SKYRAIDER!”

 

The droning built to a steady rumble and then a loud roar as the four aircraft in question flew low over the stands in diamond formation, with the Skyraider in the lead, The Spooky gunship in trail and the Bronco and the Skytrain on the “wings.” The crowd did its best to compete with the noise by cheering at the tops of their lungs, only settling down when the planes pulled up and to the left, holding their positions all the way. The planes pulled into a holding pattern above the field, circling the area and waiting for their individual cues.

 

Emma was waiting for those cues herself, because she wanted to alleviate her boredom and it seemed like this would be the perfect opportunity. She knew she was going to involve Regina in some way, but her girlfriend was still being a supportive mom for Henry and watching the air show with interest. That was okay. That just meant the fun she was about to participate in would be more of a surprise, though pulling off that surprise would take a little operational finesse.

 

No problem. It was Emma’s job to think tactically.

 

She’d actually set things in motion all the way back in Regina’s bedroom by taking advantage of a weakness that Regina had confessed to earlier in their relationship. She had a very sensitive clitoris, a residual side effect leftover from the physical aftermath of giving birth to Henry sixteen years ago. Of course this was incredibly useful whenever they were having sex, but for Regina it could also be a problem, because depending on what she was wearing she could often find herself out in public and being inadvertantly aroused. For that reason she tended to avoid wearing anything below the waist that was very tight and made of rough material.

 

Like, say, denim hot pants.

 

Emma had been stealing looks at Regina the whole trip. She was showing the signs of arousal, but was mostly hiding it. There was only a fidget here, a squirm there, and mainly only when she thought Emma wasn’t looking. The rest of the time she was the epitome of control, but Emma knew how close Regina actually was to losing that control. She was counting on it.

 

“Now let’s take a closer look at these little ladies,” Mr. Reider said, “starting with the C-47!” On cue, the cargo aircraft pulled out of formation and descended into a low circular pattern that made it come roaring over the stands.

 

And as that maneuver rattled teeth in the stands, Emma moved a hand to Regina’s near thigh. The touch caused a little squirm, but Regina settled back down and, importantly, didn’t move Emma’s hand.

 

Mr. Reider went through a brief rundown of the C-47’s history and Vietnam War record as the plane did figure eights over the field and dropped small packages by parachute from the rear door before gaining altitude and pulling back into formation.

 

“Next, let’s take a look at the OV-10!” Mr. Reider said, and the small two-engine, high-winged plane broke formation and copied the C-47’s low pass, and as the patrol plane buzzed the stands, Emma slowly moved her hand up Regina’s leg. More squirming, and this time Regina rested a hand on Emma’s, but still didn’t remove it.

 

The OV-10 launched flares and radar chaff and fired exercise rockets at targets on the field before rejoining the formation. “All right,” Mr. Reider said, “now let’s get a good look at the A-1 Skyraider!”

 

The single-seat, single-engine, WW2 reminiscent fighter plane buzzed the stands and maneuvered around the field, and as the plane performed and the announcer cheered it on, Emma’s hand lightly slid further up Regina’s leg, almost reaching her crotch, causing the most squirming yet, and this time Regina gently took Emma’s hand in both of hers and moved it. This made Emma turn to look at her. Regina smiled and shook her head, mouthing the word “No.” Regina turned her attention back to the air show then. Emma smirked and waited for Regina to relax.

 

“And, last but not least, ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on the AC-130!”

 

The big, four-engine aircraft didn’t buzz the stands, but it didn’t have to to rattle teeth and make an impression. It broke formation and descended to the field and fell into a racetrack pattern.

 

And that was when Regina lowered her hands to her lap and relaxed her grip on Emma’s...and that was when Emma twisted her hand out of the grip and pressed the palm against Regina’s crotch.

 

Regina gasped and her thighs clenched together, and her whole body stiffened as the AC-130 deployed its broadside weapons and attacked a target on the field with blank exercise rounds, while Emma started to massage Regina’s pussy, pressing the fabric of the hot pants and Regina’s panties into her clit with each stroke. With the announcer playing up the plane’s war record, Regina began to squirm and rock and moan while Emma massaged faster and harder. At one point Regina leaned against Emma and rested her head on Emma’s shoulder, while her arms encircled the one attached to the one Emma was using to manipulate her. Now Emma could hear Regina’s sob-like moans over the droning of the airplanes’ engines and it spurred her on. She intensified the massage, determined to take Regina all the way to orgasm.

 

The AC-130 rejoined the other planes in their orbit and the group began a more stunt-focused air show. Emma felt through contact wth Regina’s body how her girlfriend was trying to fight against the sensual reactions her hand was causing. _Just let it happen, babe,_ Emma thought as she maintained a steady rhythm. By the time the announcer started winding the show down, Emma felt Regina stiffen again and heard her squeak, then her body trembled. Emma stopped massaging and simply squeezed, and she held Regina that way until she felt Regina’s body relax, then she finally relented and moved her hand away. She smiled triumphantly, and as she felt Regina pull away, she turned to beam her smile at her girlfriend, expecting a look of satisfied gratitude in response.

 

Her smile disappeared when she saw Regina’s face. Regina was glaring at her, the brunette’s features a mask of pure rage. She grabbed the offending hand and squeezed it hard enough to make Emma wince with pain.

 

The audience broke up when the announcer invited them back into the museum for refreshments and to learn more about the planes they had just seen. Regina, Emma and Henry rose as one and headed back into the museum, Regina keeping Emma’s hand in an iron grip all the way. Once inside, she said to Henry “We’ll be right back,” before leading Emma into the Ladies Room. In there, she dragged Emma into a stall with her and slammed shut and locked the door behind them. Finally she let go of Emma’s hand and turned to confront her.

 

“What the _fuck_ is wrong with you!?” She hissed, trying not to scream in public.

 

“Me?? What the fuck’s wrong with you?” Emma said, matching her voice.

 

“You made me come in my pants in public!”

 

“Yes, I know, and in record time, I might add.” She smiled. “I’m quite proud of myself.”

 

“With my _son_ sitting right next to us!”

 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure the kid didn’t see anything, or anyone else for that matter. They were all watching the planes.”

 

“Gaahhh!” Regina screamed as she did a face-palm.

 

Awareness finally showed on Emma’s face. “Wait...you’re really upset.”

 

“Of _course_ I’m really upset, you idiot! You violated me!”

 

“What? No! No, I didn’t! You enjoyed it! You came!”

 

“Emma, I can’t control how my body reacts when you jerk me off! All I can do is tell you not to...which is what I did five seconds before you went and did it anyway!”

 

Suddenly the moment Regina mouthed the word “No” came roaring into Emma’s consciousness. “But I thought…” She stopped herself from finishing that sentence, realizing that saying “I thought you were playing hard-to-get” at this point would just make her look like a bigger asshole.

 

She’d still said too much. “No you didn’t ‘think,’” Regina said. “You never do, because you have the libido of a horny teenager and the impulse control of a five-year-old, which is a combination best left in the privacy of our bedrooms!” Regina huffed and turned her attention to her shorts. She unfastened and unzipped them and shimmied out of them. Emma’s attention was naturally drawn to the bikini-style panties Regina was wearing underneath. They were lacy and sky blue, except for the crotch, which was dark and slick with wetness.

 

Regina examined the shorts. “Thank goodness it didn’t go all the way through,” She muttered. “I can still wear them.” She laid them over the toilet paper dispenser, then proceeded to remove her panties. She grimaced when she examined them and saw the wet spot, then she angrily balled them up and shoved them into Emma’s chest, holding them there until Emma took them in her own hands.

 

“What am I supposed to…?” Emma said.

 

“You made the mess,” Regina said, “ _you_ figure out how to get rid of it!” Then her knees knocked and she bobbed up and down once. “Now get out!”

 

“Regina…”

 

“No! Get _out!_ I can’t…!” She just huffed again and sat on the toilet and started to pee. She looked away from Emma and looked as if she would start crying.

 

Emma lowered her head and left the stall. As she closed the door she spotted another woman coming out of a stall further down, and yet another headed for the hand dryer. _Great,_ she thought, _now I’m the girl who had a fight with her girlfriend in the bathroom._ It wouldn’t have been so bad if they were drunk and at a night club, but the fact they were in a museum in Virginia Beach just made it all the more white-trashy. Emma hid the panties behind her back and smiled as the first woman washed her hands, then waited until the women left before walking away from Regina’s stall. The panties went into the garbage bin by the dryer.

 

Regina emerged from the stall a minute later. She was back in the denim shorts, and if she had cried it didn’t show on her face. She went over to the sinks to wash her hands. Emma went over to talk to her. “Regina…”

 

Regina raised a hand to stop her. “Not another word about this. Not now, and especially not in front of Henry.”

 

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry! I didn’t think it would make you this upset. I just...thought it would be fun…”

 

“Of course you did, because it’s fun for you, but today isn’t about you. I am going to be at sea for six months, Emma, and all I wanted to do today was spend as much time with my son as I could on the day before I shipped out. It’s important to me, and you might have ruined it by doing what’s fun for you.”

 

Regina finished washing her hands and went over to the dryer, dried her hands and stepped out of the bathroom. Emma stayed for a moment and thought about what Regina said, then she followed.

 

Henry was waiting outside the bathroom door when they came out. When Regina got close, he said, “So when you two go to the bathroom together, is it because you’re girlfriends or is it just the ‘Women Always Go in Pairs’ thing?”

 

Regina smirked. “This time it was a little of both. Ready to go?”

 

“Yep. Just waiting for you guys.” Emma joined them then. “Ready, Emma?”

 

“Sure kid,” Emma said. “Let’s go watch a pretty fashion model beat up on some Nazis.”

 

“Germans, not Nazis,” Henry said.

 

“What’s the difference?”

 

“A world war and twenty years. This Wonder Woman movie is set during World War One. The Nazis started World War Two.”

 

“Well, sorry! I don’t go around knowing when the Nazis got started!”

 

“It’s military history! I thought they taught that to people in the military!”

 

“Well, maybe the ones who went to Annapolis like your mom…!”

 

“I learned about world war one and two in grade school,” Regina deadpanned. “I’m pretty sure you did too. It’s not Henry’s fault if you didn’t bother to retain the knowledge.”

 

Emma turned to glare at Regina. Regina wasn’t looking at her at all, just staring straight ahead as she walked.

 

Emma turned away and huffed. “Fine...we’ll go watch the pretty fashion model beat up the Kaiser…”

 

* * *

  
  


Wonder Woman, it turns out, never got to the Kaiser, but she did beat the holy snot out of a bunch of his troops. Emma was impressed, but thought she would have enjoyed watching guys wearing swastikas get beat up even more. The lack of Nazis was actually a minus for her.

 

Another minus was the seating arrangement. When they got to the theater Regina made sure that Henry sat between them this time, so Emma couldn’t even put her arm around her, and just to be really unsubtle about her intentions, the brunette sat with her legs crossed through the whole movie.

 

It was evening by the time they reached McLean, one of Virginia’s more affluent neighborhoods. Regina had grown up here, and always had a mild sense of dread whenever she came back. She was especially tense when Emma pulled into the circular drive that fronted Mills Manor, the type of house that some people defined as “palatial.”

 

Fortunately, the trunk of Emma’s bug didn’t spring open and launch Henry’s bags at them, so they each grabbed one and laid them on the front steps before hitting the doorbell.

 

“I’ll get it!” They heard faintly. It was a woman’s voice, but not the woman of the house. Instead, the door opened a few moments later and standing there was an utter starlet, wearing a cropped halter top, cut-offs so cut off they were practically bikini bottoms, sandals and a mass of unruly red hair. On seeing the new arrivals she flashed a wide grin, which she proceeded to beam right at Henry. “There ye are!” She breathed. “How’s mah boyfriend?”

 

Henry grinned right back, naturally. “Hey, Merry,” he said, “how are you?”

 

Merida Archer rolled her eyes and said, “Och! So formal! Come on! Give us a hug!” And with that she grabbed Henry with powerful arms and pulled him into a bear hug, one that pressed his face right into her chest. Henry didn’t seem to mind.

 

Emma smirked at the greeting. Regina just rolled her eyes, then she cleared her throat.

 

That’s when Merida noticed Henry wasn’t alone. She loosened her grip on the boy and said. “Regina, Emma! Hello! It’s good to see ya!”

 

“You too, Merry,” Regina said, wishing the woman would put just a little more distance between herself and her son. “How have you been?”

 

“Wonderful! Just wonderful! Couldn’t be better!” With that she let Henry go and grabbed the two duffels, one in each hand, as if they were filled with cotton. Merida was a lot stronger than her thin frame would suggest. “Come on, now! Let’s get you all inside!” She turned to head back in and put on a show, since the cut-offs were cut so high that the bottoms of her butt cheeks were plainly visible. Henry tried not to look like he was looking as he hefted his backpack onto his shoulders and followed.

 

“Now _those_ are booty shorts,” Emma said quietly to Regina as they crossed the threshold.

 

“Indeed,” Regina said.

 

“And how come she never greets us like she greets Henry?”

 

“That’s easy. We’re not her type. Her turn-ons are underage boys and bitter, conniving old women.” Emma laughed, while Regina smiled a genuine smile. “And speaking of bitter and conniving...Merry! Is my mother in tonight?”

 

Merida turned and said, “Oh, yah! She’s inside helping to get dinner ready! You should stay!” She led them through the foyer into the living room, then called through the adjacent dining room: “Cora! Cora-luv! They’re here!”

 

They stood waiting for a minute before a striking, well-dressed, dark-haired woman entered from the dining room. This was Cora Mills, and on seeing Merida with the duffels she looked exasperated. “Merida, darling, put those down. Let Sheridan get them.”

 

“Oh, no need, Cora-luv! I don’t mind. They’re just wee bags!” She turned her attention back to Henry. “Come on upstairs, lad! We’ll get ye moved in, and then I can show you mah new bow!”

 

“Whoa...you got it? The new Brute Force composite bow?”

 

“Yah! For mah birthday!”

 

“Cool! How accurate is it?”

 

Merida flashed a conspiring grin. “I could bullseye _womp rats_ with it!”

 

Henry laughed. “Excellent! Let’s go!”

 

Merida led the way again, taking Henry’s duffels upstairs as Henry followed behind. Cora watched them go up. Regina leaned toward Emma and whispered, “It’s nice to see Merry playing with someone closer to her own age…”

 

She wasn’t quiet enough. “What was that, dear?” Cora asked.

 

“I was just noting to Emma that your trophy girlfriend is just as bright and shiny as ever,” Regina said.

 

“Trophy? If by that you mean that the Love of My Life is as beautiful and vivacious as the day I first met her, then you’re right. She is still ‘shiny,’ as is _your_ trophy girlfriend.” With that she finally acknowledged Emma’s presence. “Good evening, _Lieutenant_ Swan.”

 

“Good Evening, Mrs. Mills,” Emma said. It was the way Cora emphasized her rank that put her off. It was as if the mere fact that she was subordinate to Regina made her unworthy of attention.

 

“And thank you again for taking Henry in,” Regina said, “I appreciate it.”

 

“I’m happy to look after my grandson,” Cora said. “I enjoy helping him maintain a more stable home life.”

 

“Wow. Already, Mother? We’ve been here five whole minutes…”

 

“Have I said something wrong? Isn’t that why you leave him with me? To give him a stable home while you go off adventuring?”

 

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s _not_ adventuring, Mother. It’s a deployment. I get deployed. It’s part of my job.”

 

“There are other jobs in the Navy. My offer still stands. I can call my friend in the Defense Department and have him look into a shore position for you…”

 

“And my answer still stands: No. I don’t want you to call any friend on my behalf. I enjoy what I do and I have no problem going where my superiors send me.”

 

“And you say you’re not adventuring, but I know better. You’re driven by the same wanderlust as your father. He also thought nothing of leaving his family behind for days or weeks at a time…”

 

Regina’s blood started to boil. “I think of Henry every day I’m away from him, and I miss Father every day since he died. I even miss _you_ when I’m at sea, Mother, if for no other reason than it feels strange not to be lectured by you over the phone every day.”

 

Cora also felt her anger rise. “You say you miss us, but it’s a situation you put yourself in and refuse to remove yourself from. You could still serve your country but do so in a position that allows you to have a daily life with your son for more than half of the year. Can you imagine what having a mother absent so often can do to a child?”

 

Regina sighed. “Henry is fine. He knows my responsibilities and understands them, and he has known for years. If I thought my absences were affecting him negatively I’d quit entirely.”

 

“Really?” Cora said with a smile. “I’ll hold you to that. Will you two be staying for dinner?”

 

Regina blinked at the sudden change of topic, but recovered quickly. “I can’t. I have to finish prepping for tomorrow and get to bed early.”

 

“I really should get going, too,” Emma said. She doubted her invitation would stay valid if Regina left.

 

“Then we won’t keep you two any longer than necessary,” Cora said as she returned to the staircase. “Henry!” She called up. “Come say your goodbyes to your mother!”

 

Regina rolled her eyes. “She always makes it sound like I’m dying…” She muttered to Emma.

 

Henry came running back downstairs with Merida trailing behind. Merida stopped to stand next to Cora and hold her hand, while Henry kept going until he ended up in a close hug with Regina.

 

Regina closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of holding her son in her arms. “You’ve gotten so big,” she said softly to him, then they parted enough to look each other in the eye. “Now remember,” she said with a grin, “Merry was Grandma’s playmate first, so don’t monopolize her time.”

 

“I won’t,” Henry said with a chuckle.

 

“Skype me, text me, message me...do all the things you kids do to let me know you’re still alive.”

 

“I will...and you can do that thing you old people do with pens and paper!”

 

“Write letters?”

 

_“That_ was it!” They both laughed and pulled back into the hug.

 

“I love you so much…” Regina said.

 

“I love you too, Mom,” Henry said.

 

They held each other for a long while before finally parting, then Henry shared a shorter hug with Emma. “I’ll check in on you, kid,” she told him.

 

“Cool,” Henry said. When he parted from her he started for the stairs again.

 

Cora stopped him. “Henry, go sit down in the dining room. Dinner will be served soon.”

 

“Oh, that’s okay, Grandma,” Henry said. “I’m not really hungry.”

 

“Have something anyway. You should never end the day without a good meal. Trust me. You’ll thank me later.”

 

“Okay, Grandma.” He shrugged at Regina before heading to the dining room.

 

“You too, darling,” she told Merida. “I’ll be in shortly.”

 

“All right, Luv,” Merida said, stopping to share a brief kiss with Cora before complying.

 

Cora watched Merida jog out of the living room, then turned and flashed a self-satisfied smile at her daughter. “Well, dear...shall I show you out?”

 

“No need,” Regina said, smiling back. “I can find my way out.” _I will always find my way out of your house,_ she thought.

 

“In that case…” Cora came close and caught Regina in a hug. It was formal and perfunctory, but Regina hugged back anyway.

 

“Good fortune, dear,” Cora said, “and don’t worry. I promise I’ll be there for your son whenever you can’t be.”

 

They parted, and Regina didn’t know whether to thank her mother for that or slug her for the implication. She settled for just turning away and heading for the door.

 

“Good night, Lieutenant Swan,” Cora said as Emma turned to follow.

 

“Good Night, Mrs. Mills,” Emma said over her shoulder.

 

Regina remained silent as they exited the house, descended the front stairs and piled into the Bug. Emma waited until they were both buckled in before aksing. “Where to now?”

 

“Take me home, Emma,” Regina said. She sounded lost.

 

Emma sighed and pulled out of the circular drive and onto the street. Regina remained silent, and they had been on the road for almost five minutes before Emma tried to start a conversation. “What do you suppose it is between Cora and Merida?” She asked. “How do they stay together?”

 

“Mother’s rich and Merida’s not bright,” Regina deadpanned. “It’s a match made in heaven.”

 

“That’s awfully cynical, Regina,” Emma said. “How do you know there isn’t genuine love between them?”

 

“Because I grew up with Cora Mills. There isn’t any genuine love in her for anybody.”

 

“So you think Merry’s just in it for the money?”

 

“Not intentionally. She’s a wide-eyed innocent who’s been lavished with romantic attention from a wealthy, successful woman and is now living in luxury in said woman’s estate. She may genuinely be head over heels. She’s just not smart enough to realize the affection’s one-sided.”

 

“But how can _you_ be sure?”

 

“I just told you. Look, my family’s in the fashion industry, and that’s an industry that lives and dies by trends, which Cora Mills knows and always tries to use to her advantage. She searches everywhere for trends to follow, including television, especially television watched religiously by millennials. And what does she see in all the most popular and offbeat television dramas? Pretty lesbians. Well, obviously to her that means she needs to enter into a May-December Lesbian Romance in order to stay relevant in the public eye, and she found an eager participant in one of our sportswear line’s most popular models.”

 

“Okay...wow, that’s...I can’t believe that. That would be so…”

 

“Cora. It would be so Cora. My mother is a user, Emma. She used my father’s hard work and good nature to acquire her fortune and she’s using that fortune to keep Merida as arm candy.”

 

“So there’s no way you could be wrong?”

 

“Anything’s possible, but I wouldn’t bet money on their relationship being genuine…”

 

“Well, okay, but she must love Henry enough to take care of him for months at a time…”

 

Regina shook her head. “She’s just using his welfare to guilt trip me. If I didn’t love Henry myself there would be no reason for her to take him in. She wouldn’t be able to lord my seperation from him over me like she did tonight.”

 

Emma needed a moment to process that. “Oh.” Deep breath. “Regina? I’m sorry about what I did this afternoon.”

 

Regina didn’t respond.

 

“It was wrong and stupid and selfish and I didn’t consider your feelings at all and I know you’re still mad but I have to apologize because I...care for you deeply and I don’t want us to break up because I did something so idiotic.”

 

Regina sighed. “You know what? I shouldn’t, but I just know I’m eventually going to forgive you Emma, because I care deeply for you as well, but what you did today has got me thinking about how deep our caring actually goes. We have been seeing each other for two months and today I realized how much of our time together that we spend fucking. I complained about your lack of impulse control earlier, but I’ve given in to those impulses way too often. We’re great together in bed, but we spend so much time proving it that I don’t know if we’re great together anywhere else. Today was the perfect opportunity to find out by sharing the day to the benefit of someone else...and then you did what you did.

 

“I don’t want to break up either, but I also don’t want to stay together just to be your sex toy, or friend with benefits. I want to know that there’s more to our relationship than what we can do to each others’ bodies. I _need_ to know that, Emma.”

 

“So what can I do?”

 

“For now? Nothing. My deployment is the best thing that could happen, because it means we will be physically seperated from each other by miles of ocean for six months. It’s perfect. This way it will be impossible for us to give in to our usual temptations. We’ll be able to spend more time deciding what we mean to each other emotionally. If we’re meant to be together, and we’re ready to commit to something that’s more than physical, we should know that for sure by the time I get back.”

 

“And what if one or both of us comes to a different conclusion?”

 

“Then it’s better to know before we commit to something we shouldn’t, and we’ll never know if we keep using sex to dodge the question.”

 

* * *

  
  


They continued on to Regina’s house in silence. Emma parked in front of the house to let Regina out at the curb. They didn’t kiss before Regina got out. Emma offered one last apologetic smile before driving off. Regina watched the bug until it rounded a corner and was out of sight.

 

Then she turned to her own car. She needed to park it in the garage and cover it with a tarp. It would stay there until she came back. Then she went into the house, and the first thing she did was wash and put away the dishes, then she straightened up the whole house as best she could. She wouldn’t have time tomorrow morning. The monthly bills were already taken care of. The mortgage, heating, electric and wireless bills were all paid automatically from her accounts. Mail would go to her mother’s house for the duration, so it wouldn’t pile up in Regina’s mailbox.

 

She made a sandwich to go with some leftover salad and a Vitamin Water and had that for dinner, then she decided she needed a bubble bath. She stripped off her clothes in her bedroom, especially glad to get rid of the denim hot pants. They’d made her horrendously uncomfortable all day, and they just served to remind her of Emma’s transgression. She doubted she’d ever wear them again.

 

She drew a deep bath filled with perfumed oils and bubble bath. She climbed in when the tub was just a mass of suds. She’d gotten the water temperature just right. It was just hot enough to soothe her muscles but not enough to scald. It drained the tension from her body as soon as she was fully submerged. It was a luxurious sensation that she would sorely miss while she was at sea, so for the first few minutes she just sat in the tub and enjoyed it, then took her time cleaning up.

 

She dried off and dressed for bed in a tank top and boxers, then she turned out the lights and laid down. She knew she had to get to sleep so she could get enough sleep before tomorrow morning, but she found herself wide awake in the dark replaying the events of her day. It made her wonder about her life when the two most important women in it - Emma and Cora - made her wonder if she deserved to be loved instead of just loving her.

 

It took about twenty minutes, but she finally managed to turn off her brain and drift off…

  


* * *

  


...and she woke up with the sunrise, just a handful of minutes before the alarm on her phone went off. She climbed out of bed and shook off any lingering fatigue, then she made the bed. Then she went into the bathroom to take a shower. It only took about three minutes, the first to soap up, the next to wash and the last to rinse off. It was the type of shower she’d take aboard ship, so she wanted to get herself into the habit early. She applied just enough face make-up to look fresh and tied her hair back in a tight bun. She dressed in plain underwear and her Working Uniform I, a blue camouflage fatigue uniform that she thoroughly hated and was glad would be discontinued in due course.

 

She had already packed for the cruise a few days before. She had one sea bag - a large duffel - with all her working uniforms and a few civilian outfits, and two suit bags with her Dress Whites and Dress Blues. She carried these down to the front door and rested them where Henry had put his bags the previous morning.

 

At that point it was just a matter of waiting for the transport she’d arranged, so she grabbed another vitamin water and some Belvita bars to eat for breakfast and ate in the living room while she watched early morning news.

 

The traffic report was just starting when the doorbell rang. Regina turned off the TV and went to answer it. Standing on the front landing was a petty officer in his camo uniform. On seeing Regina he came to full attention and saluted. Regina returned the salute and when they dropped their hands, the sailor said, “Good Morning, Captain. I’m here to transport you to Norfolk.”

 

“Very Well,” Regina said.  She handed over her bags. “Take these to the car and give me a minute to lock up.”

 

“Aye aye,” the petty officer said. He shouldered the duffel and bent the suit bags over one forearm, then he carried them to the dark blue sedan with Navy markings idling in front of the house. Regina went back inside and made sure all the doors and windows were locked. When she was satisfied, she set the alarm system and exited the house and locked the front door for the last time.

 

Sitting in the back of the sedan, Regina only spared a glance to her home before she was driven out of sight of it. She was secretly glad. The previous day had reminded her that she wasn’t always happy with her civilian life, but starting today that wouldn’t be an issue.  For the next half-year, more or less, she wouldn’t have to worry about being Regina Mills, daughter, mother and lover.

 

She just had to be Captain Regina Mills, United States Navy, and for the time being, she could be happy with that.


	2. The First Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos, your comments and you patience. I hope this next chapter was worth the wait. Let me know either way!

Naval Station Norfolk was the largest installation of its kind in the world. It was home to the largest collection of U.S. Navy ships and several Navy commands.

 

The petty officer stopped at the land-end of one pier and let Regina out and grabbed her bags from the trunk, then he followed her as she walked up the pier to her ship. There were four ships tied up here, two on each side, all the ships in Destroyer Group 22. All four would depart this morning, bound for different missions in different areas, namely the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. Regina’s was moored on the seaward end of the pier on the left, but she walked at a leisurely pace so she could take in the sight of all four vessels. She smiled as she did so, feeling more at home in their presence than at her own home in Chesapeake. She stopped completely at the bow of her ship, just to take a lingering look at her hull number, “154.”

 

The U.S.S.  _ Story Brooke _ was an  _ Arleigh Burke _ -class guided missile destroyer. She had a hull designed for speed and to defeat radar detection and hangar space for two helicopters. The missiles she carried were mounted in two Vertical Launch System arrays mounted fore and aft. Her only visible guns were the five-inch gun mounted forward and the anti-missile multi-barrelled cannon mounted on the superstructure, but smaller 50-caliber heavy machine guns could be mounted in spots on deck around the rails if needed.

 

Regina continued walking until she reached the bottom end of the gangway, then she ascended. When both her feet were on the deck she paused again to offer a quick salute to the naval ensign - the large US flag flying above the superstructure - then traded salutes with the duty officer manning the main entry hatch as she stepped inside.

 

“Morning, Captain,” The young man said. “The X-O left word that he’d report to your stateroom with the final departure reports as soon as you were aboard.”

 

“Very well,” Regina said. “I’m headed straight there right now.” She smiled. “Thank you.”

 

The young man smiled back, naturally. “Aye aye, ma’am.” he said as Regina continued on, then he reached for the 1MC panel nearby and swtiched it to “All Stations.” Regina then heard his voice announce over the ship’s speakers “ _ Storybrooke _ , Arriving.” Now everybody aboard knew she had returned to the ship.

 

Regina took off her uniform cap as she proceeded through the passageways of the ship, making it less likely that those she passed along the way would offer salutes she’d feel obliged to return, and thus add precious seconds to the journey. The practice of saluting would stop almost completely once _ Story Brooke  _ was underway, but for now with her cap off subordinates simply came to attention and gave way to her as she passed, making her transit to her quarters a smooth one.

 

Soon she stopped at a door labeled “CAPT. REGINA MILLS/COMMANDING OFFICER” and let herself in, directing the petty officer to leave her bags on her bed. When that was done, she said, “Thank you, sailor. That will be all.”

 

The man came to attention one last time and said “Aye aye, Captain,” before turning smartly and departing. Regina closed the door behind him.

 

_ Be it ever so humble… _ Captain’s Quarters in a destroyer were barely the size of the dorm she shared at Annapolis, and definitely smaller than her first apartment, but it had the saving grace of being hers and hers alone, the solitude a luxury offered only to unit commanders and their superiors. Still, the architects who’d designed the ship’s interior had done their best to maximize the space. Her bed was a cot-sized, cushioned shelf set into the wall, with small drawers for storage above and below. Across from that was a small booth with a cushioned bench and a table where Regina could have meals in private. Against another wall was a medium-sized desk and office chair. This was where Regina kept most of her mementos, including several pictures of Henry. There was also a desktop computer. Through a door next to the desk was her private bath, a space the size of a closet with a steel, lidless toilet - called a “head” - and a fold-down sink at one end and a claustrophobic shower stall at the other.

 

She’d been unpacking for a few minutes when she heard a knock at the door. “Come!” She called out as she stopped unpacking and turned.

 

Commander David Nolan,  _ Story Brooke _ ’s Executive Officer, let himself into the quarters. “Morning, Cap’n,” he said as he came all the way in. “Ready to embark on a fun and eventful trip North?”

 

Regina smirked. “You tell me. Are there any last minute hang-ups we have to deal with before we sail?”

 

“Not really,” David said. He consulted the government-issued tablet he was holding. “Not with the ship, anyway. All the maintenance and repair issues we had when we came into port have been looked at and dealt with.”

 

“New parts or baling wire and duct tape?”

 

“About fifty-fifty, but all systems should be functioning normally when we put to sea. Mary Margaret will be here later to go over the details with you.”

 

Regina frowned slightly. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing Mary Margaret. “Very Well. You said no problems with the ship. What about the crew?”

 

“Nothing unexpected. I’ve got the department heads keeping me updated on their personnel’s arrivals. At latest count we’ve got five ratings who’ve failed-to-report so far. Best case scenario, they’re scrambling to get to the ship before departure time.”

 

Regina shrugged. “Well, if nothing else it’ll give me a few infractions to have a mast over.” She took the report philosophically. It was rare for a ship to leave port with its whole complement. Lots of obstacles, from the completely unforeseen to the utterly irresponsible, could delay a crew member getting to his or her ship on time. Of course, said crew member would still be held responsible for being “UA” - unauthorized absent - once he reached the ship, but circumstances could mitigate the punishment.

 

“Okay, forget the ratings,” Regina said. “What about the big hole in our roster?”

 

David sighed. “I was in touch with Personnel Command again this morning. I quote, they are ‘expediting our replacement.’”

 

Regina groaned. “Seriously?? They’ve been ‘expediting our replacement’ since we put in the request for a new T-A-O last month! Do they even know what the word ‘expedite’ means? Do they have someone there with a dictionary that can explain it to them?”

 

David smirked at that, then said, “Well, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. This time they added that we should have our new T-A-O for this cruise...just not before we depart today.”

 

“Great,” Regina muttered. “That’s all we need. A T-A-O with transport-induced jet lag…”

 

“Think positive, Cap’n. We’ll have a T-A-O. You can always work the jet lag out of him with hard labor.”

 

Regina chuckled at that. “True. Any other problems?”

 

“Nope. We took on full bunkers of fuel, the final pallets of supplies have been loaded and are being stored. And we’re getting two choppers this cruise.”

 

“Two? My, aren’t we lucky?”

 

“Not that lucky. We’re only getting one MH-60. The other is a Fire Scout.”

 

Regina frowned again. “That’s not a chopper. It’s an R/C toy with delusions of grandeur.”

 

“Yes, a very expensive R/C toy that has to work the last kinks out of its procedures before it starts working with the Littoral Combat Ships. We’ve been elected to give it a training base.The control station and crew came aboard this morning, and the plane itself will be flown out with our MH-60.”

 

“Well, let’s get a Fod walkdown done as soon as we’re in open water. Wouldn’t want our toy to get taken out by a loose screw as it traps...”

 

David smirked at that. “Yes, Ma’am, F-O-D walkdown soon as we’re in the Atlantic.”

 

“Anything else?”

 

“Nope. That’s it for my report.”

 

“Then I’ll see you on the bridge.”

 

David nodded. “Aye, Captain.” He turned sharply and left the quarters.

 

Regina went back to unpacking. She had everything completely stowed by the time the next person knocked on the door. “Come!”

 

This time it was Lieutenant Mary Margaret Blanchard, the ship’s Chief Engineer. “Good Morning, Captain,” she said with a smile and a bright attitude.

 

“Come in and close the hatch,” Regina said. As Mary Margaret closed the door behind her, Regina added, “And don’t act so cheerful so early in the day. It always creeps me out.”

 

Mary Margaret came to attention and said, “Yes. Ma’am!” with a serious face. “Acting super stoic, Ma’am!”

 

Regina just stared, then they both broke down into chuckles. “That’s even worse! Sit down.” As Mary Margaret went to sit at Regina’s table, Regina noticed what she was wearing. “You’re already in your coveralls.”

 

“Well, yeah,” Mary Margaret said, glancing down at her solid blue coveralls. “You can’t get any real work done wearing that thing.” She flicked a finger at Regina’s camo uniform. David had been wearing the same thing.

 

“Yes, I know,” Regina sighed. “I want to get everybody into coveralls once we’re well underway.” She sat down next to Mary Margaret on the cushioned bench. “Okay...good news and bad news?”

 

“It’s really all good news,” Mary Margaret said as she consulted the tablet she was holding. “They yard dogs managed to replace the last worn compressor blades in Engine Four about two hours ago. The power-up and sustained operation tests went fine. The contractor fixed the lag time between “execute” command and the #10 cell hatch in the forward VLS by adjusting the mechanisms in the hatch itself. The bug in the Fire Control system got fixed with a software patch and we installed software updates in the Navigation and Aegis Display systems.”

 

“Well, okay, all good news. We can find our way around and shoot missiles without them blowing up in their silos. Awesome.”

 

“We aim to please.” Mary Margaret laid her tablet on the table and smiled at Regina. “So...permission to speak freely?”

 

Regina frowned.  _ Here we go… _ “Sure, because you’re just going to keep annoying me about it until I say yes.”

 

Mary Margaret grinned. “You know me so well. Sooo...how did it go this weekend?”

 

Regina sighed. “Saturday was great, Sunday not so much.”

 

“What happened? Did you and Henry fight?”

 

“No. No, it wasn’t me and Henry…”

 

“Ah...the girlfriend. What did you do?”

 

“Me? What makes you think I did anything?”

 

“Regina, this is the longest you’ve been in a relationship since Daniel and it wouldn’t be the first one you’ve derailed with your trust issues. I say this as your friend...I’m surprised it’s lasted as long as it has.”

 

“Gee, thanks, friend, but I’ll have you know that she started the fight, and we haven’t broken up yet. We’re just using my deployment as a chance for both of us to get our priorities straight.”

 

“Well, what exactly did she do?”

 

“Let’s just say she crossed a line she shouldn’t have.”

 

“That’s awfully vague…”

 

“You don’t need to know the details.” Mary Margaret was being her usual persistent self. They’d been close friends for a long time, but Mary Margaret’s idea of being a close friend tended to include being an incredibly nosy one, driven mainly by the idea that her friends should all be as happy as possible, even if getting them to that happiness killed them. She was an optimistic sadist.

 

“Well then you could at least introduce her to me finally so I can take her down a peg myself…” Mary Margaret said.

 

“You know why I haven’t,” Regina said. “I don’t like my love life to encroach on my work life…”

 

“Yes, that’s what you keep saying, but I think that’s just more of those trust issues.”

 

“You can think whatever you like, but trust issues or not I’m not letting you get near her until it’s the right time.  Besides...she’s got like six inches on you and she’s muscular. She’d probably drop you like a bad habit if you tried to get in her face.”

 

“Well, obviously, I wouldn’t step to her without hiding a big ass heavy metal wrench behind my back…” Mary Margaret said with a grin.

 

“See, it’s statements like that that make me worry about you…”

 

Mary Margaret stood and collected her tablet. “Oh, no need to worry about me.” She grinned. “I’m perfectly well-adjusted.”

 

Regina grinned back. “Yeah, I’m not gonna touch that one. Is there anything else we need to talk about, ChEng?”

 

“No, Ma’am.  _ Storybrooke _ is properly refit and ready to sail.”

 

“Carry on, then. I intend to depart on time.”

 

“Aye, aye, Captain.” Mary Margaret started to leave, then she ducked back and whispered, “We’ll talk more about this girlfriend problem later…”

 

“Get out!” Regina half-yelled, pointing at the door. Mary Margaret retreated quickly, giggling.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Captain on the bridge!” David called out.

 

“As you were!”  Regina called out. With departure time a few minutes away Regina had just stepped onto _ Story Brooke’s _ bridge. David spotted her first and made the traditional announcement, prompting Regina to call out the traditional response. The idea was for her presence to be acknowledged without everyone turning away from their stations.

 

Regina could tell from looking around that the bridge was fully manned, with each control station monitored and the appropriate number of backups and lookouts, This included the ship’s Navigator, Lieutenant Kathryn Midas, another friend of Regina’s. The women exchanged discreet waves and smiles as Regina walked past.

 

David was standing next to the OOD chair on the port side of the bridge, looking out of the windscreens on that side. Regina went to stand next to him. “ _ Nathan James  _ is singling up,” he said when she was close.

 

Regina looked out the windscreen. The ship across the dock from theirs - U.S.S.  _ Nathan James _ , another  _ Arleigh Burke _ \- had been untied from the dock and crewmen on deck were drawing in her lines. She would be the first of the squadron to depart, followed by _ Story Brooke. _

 

“All stations are manned and ready for departure,” David continued. “Engineering says all engines are up and running, maximum speed available is forty-eight knots.”

 

Regina smiled. “Mary Margaret’s bragging again.”

 

“She would say it ain’t braggin’ if you can do it,” David said.

 

“Can and should are two different things,” Regina said, “and the difference is whether or not you burn out the engines ‘doing it.’”

 

“Shall I remind her of that?”

 

Regina thought about it. “Nah, let her have her fun.” With that she left David and walked across the bridge to the Captain’s Chair on the starboard side. She climbed into it and sat down, fastening the built in restraints in for good measure. She didn’t really expect leaving the dock to be turbulent, but her line of thought was always,  _ I have seatbelts, so why not use them? _

 

There was really nothing to do at that point but wait for  _ Nathan James _ to clear the dock and head north out of the harbor on the way to the bay. That would take a few minutes, which the bridge crew passed mostly in silence, with only a few muted commands and acknowledgements disrupting the quiet.

 

Finally, David called out, “ _ Nathan James  _ is standing North and underway!”

 

That was their cue. “Very well,” Regina responded. “Single up all lines.”

 

David nodded at the rating standing by the 1MC, who turned to the device and switched it to external broadcast. “Single up fore and aft!” His voice boomed outside the ship. On hearing that, sailors on the dock untied the lines that were holding  _ Story Brooke _ in place while sailors on deck drew them in.

 

It didn’t take long. “We’re free and clear to maneuver,” David called out.

 

“Very well,” Regina said. “Navigator, take us out.”

 

“Aye, Captain,” Kathryn Midas said. “Helm, all back Slow, and prepare to turn to port on my mark.”

 

The rating at the helm responded, “All back Slow, aye. Answers back Slow. Ready to turn to port.”

 

Kathryn divided her attention between the chart she was consulting and the view of the outside world as  _ Story Brooke  _ moved in reverse away from the dock at a speed of a few knots. She was aided in her observations by lookouts stationed on the bridge wings looking aft, watching for surprise traffic that the ship might back into.

 

Kathryn waited and watched until she was sure the bow of the ship was fully clear of the dock, with some elbow room, then said, “Helm, ahead Slow, left standard rudder.”

 

“Ahead slow, aye,” the helmsman said. “Answers ahead Slow, my rudder is left standard.”

 

Over the next several seconds the ship slowed, paused and then started to move forward as the bow swung left. Kathryn watched the turn closely until the bow was pointing directly at the stern of the  _ Nathan James,  _ which was receding into the distance. “Steady up!” She called out. The helmsman acknowledged and straightened the ship out to follow  _ Nathan James. _

 

The other two ships departed dock in a similar fashion as  _ Nathan James _ and  _ Story Brooke _ , and all four ships sailed in line out of the harbor, then turned East to sail across Chesapeake Bay and then into the Atlantic. They would maintain course and speed until they took aboard their respective aircraft, which were already on the way.

 

Regina watched impassively until they were in the ocean, then she climbed out of the Captain’s Chair and went back over to David. “I’m going to join the walkdown, then after that’s done I’m going back to my quarters.” She turned to leave before he could respond.

 

“Have fun,” he said to her back.

 

* * *

  
  
  


Ships that carried aircraft as part of their normal mission had to go through several procedures before commencing flight operations. One of the most important was the Foreign Object Damage walkdown.

 

The F-O-D detail mustered on the flight deck as morning watches were set throughout the ship. This detail included the flight deck crew plus several of the standard crew members. Regina joined them just as the flight deck crew was getting everyone organized.

 

To start, everyone got in-line abreast, about half-arms-length apart, and put their backs to the hangar doors. On the loudspeaker command “Commence walkdown,” the group made its way at parade march toward the aft end of the deck. Along the way, each person was responsible clearing his or her line of advance of any small thing that might get sucked into the intake of an aircraft engine and wreck it. This meant things like pebbles, screws, bits of non-skid, generally any debris from any source that might have fouled the flight deck. It was tedious but necessary work, done numerous times over the course of the deployment. Regina liked to join in every once and a while because the idea of it spoke to her inner needs for cleanliness and order.

 

At the end of the walkdown everyone in the detail had collected a small handful of detritus. Anything that looked like a remotely useful spare part would be set aside for evaluation by the Engineering section. Most of the debris was just trash and would be treated as such.

 

With the walkdown completed, the non-flight-deck personnel retreated back into the ship to other duties, while the flight deck crew made further preparations for the arrival of  _ Story Brooke’s _ air group…

 

* * *

  
  
  


Half that air group was being controlled from within the ship, specifically from a remote corner of the starboard hangar bay. There a table was set up as a makeshift desk to support two large, rugged laptops that served as control stations for the unmanned air vehicle that would fly from  _ Story Brooke’s _ deck. Manning the controls were two young women: Lieutenant R.G. Fairy, the pilot, and Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Tina Bell, the Navigator/Sensor Operator.

 

“Girl Scout, on final,” Lt. Fairy said into her headset. She was in contact with the air controllers in  _ Story Brooke’s _ Combat Information Center via the headset she was wearing. CIC had been tracking the aircraft as soon as it entered the ship’s air search radar boundary, but of course Fairy and Bell had been monitoring the thing for much longer, having piloted it from its base in Patuxent River, Maryland. The flight plan had been designed so that the helicopter - “Girl Scout” - would intercept the ship as she emerged in blue water. Both women saw that it had worked out just right, now that they could see the ship clearly on their displays.

 

Movement in her peripheral vision made Bell glance aft. The hangar bay door was coming up, and the flight deck crew was getting ready to trap the aircraft and bring it in. “They’re ready on deck…” She commented.

 

Fairy just grunted in acknowledgement. She could see that just by watching her monitor. She had already adjusted the zoom so she could see the instructions of the Landing Signal Officer. He was using hand and arm signals to give her cues about speed, altitude and heading, and she followed them right up until she had the aircraft flying parallel with _ Story Brooke  _ on her port side, laying to the left and a few meters above the flight deck. Then it was just a matter of sideslipping right and touching the landing skids down gently center-deck. “We’re down,” she said aloud, then cut power when the LSO crossed his arms over his head.

 

With that job done, Bell and Fairy switched their control systems to standby and got up to get a close look at their aircraft as the flight deck crew got to work.

 

The MQ-8C Fire Scout was a helicopter UAV designed to augment the on board sensors of modern surface ships. The “C” version was the largest, having been constructed from the body of a Bell JetRanger helicopter, one of the most prolific designs ever introduced. The Fire Scout’s appearance was distinguished by its light blue-gray color, the sensor pod mounted above the rotors and, of course, the total lack of any windows. Once in full production, it would be used mainly with the new classes of Littoral Combat Ships.

 

Bell and Fairy watched as the deck crew attached wheels to the landing skids, folded back the rotor blades and disconnected the tail boom from the main body of the craft so it could be hinged forward. With that done, several hands pushed the compacted aircraft into the starboard hangar.

 

Bell grinned as she watched the craft roll inside. “That’s my girl,” She said. “Good job! How’s my baby after that workout?”

 

Fairy raised an eyebrow at her. “Geez, Tinker. Stop sweet-talking it. You can’t be  _ that  _ hard up.”

 

“Come on, Boss,” Bell said. “You gotta show your plane some love. All the fancy flyin’ in the ‘verse won’t keep your plane in the air if you don’t love it.”

 

Fairy’s face scrunched up. “What’s a ‘verse?’”

 

Bell huffed.  “Ohmy _ god _ , watch some science fiction!”

 

“I watch science fiction, just not that weird stuff you like…”

 

“My sci-fi is not weird!”

 

“Please! Remember that one show you tried to get me to watch where the zombie girl solves crimes by eating peoples’ brains?”

 

“THAT SHOW IS AWESOME!”

 

* * *

 

 

Regina missed the Fire Scout’s landing because she had gone straight back to her quarters after the walkdown, as she intended. She wanted to make a couple of Skype calls while the ship was relatively close to the continental U.S. She fired up her laptop and started up the app, then called Henry.

 

It didn’t take long for him to answer. “Hey, Mom!” He said with a smile. He was holding his phone so that Regina could see he was bare-chested, wearing sunglasses and sitting in the sun on a folding beach chair.

 

Regina huffed. “Really, Henry? You’re already at the pool? Did you just get out of bed and head straight down?”

 

Henry shrugged. “What? I ate breakfast first! That’s why I’m not swimming yet!”

 

“Oh well, as long as you’re being careful...so are you even going to bother doing that summer reading you have or are you just going to hang out on the cabana 24/7 until school starts?”

 

“You ask that like there’s actually a choice involved…”

 

“Henry…!”

 

“Mom! I’ll do the reading, okay? But I’ve got weeks yet. I can do the reading and work on my tan.”

 

“Henry, you’re the son of a Latina. You’re tan enough.” She shook her head and sighed.  _ Pick your battles. _ “Are mother and Merry out there with you?”

 

* * *

  
  
  


“Merry’s out here. She’s just getting to the top of the high board.” Henry turned away from the phone display to watch as she reached the top of the ladder and walked out to the end of the board. The sight was one of the reasons he was out at the pool already. Twenty laps in the olympic sized sunken pool was part of her regular workout. For this run she was wearing a skintight racing maillot, white with black trim. The shadows the bright sun cast in the white neoprene revealed more of her body than one would expect.

 

And she hadn’t even gotten it wet yet.

 

Merry spotted him looking. She grinned at him and waved, then straightened up, bounced twice on the end of the board and arced into the water like one of her arrows hitting a target.

 

“Earth to Henry…” he heard. It broke him out of his trance.

 

“Oh, sorry Mom. I was just watching Merry dive.”

 

“I heard the splash. Where’s your grandmother?”

 

“She’s on the patio, in the shade. She doesn’t like the pool much.”

 

“She never did. It was Daddy’s idea to put it in. He liked to swim. If she didn’t have you and Merry she’d probably have it taken out.”

 

“Thanks for the warning! That just means I have to spend even more time out here to make sure she knows I like it.”

 

“You’re hopeless.”

 

“Probably. Are you underway yet?”

 

“We are.”

 

“Can you tell me where you’re going?”

 

“You know I can’t.”

 

“Right. If you tell me, you have to kill me.”

 

“Something like that...but you could give the phone to your grandmother so I can tell her...then we can inherit the house  _ and  _ the pool!”

 

* * *

  
  
  


“Too dark, Mom,” Henry said. “I’m going to hang up before you really get twisted.”

 

“You never let me have any fun.”

 

“It might be safer that way. Love you!”

 

“Love you, too...and stop eye-raping Merida!”

 

“Eww!” With that Henry closed the connection on his end.

 

Regina just stared at the screen for a second. “Man...he wants to join the Air Force  _ and _ he’s so straight he’s pervy. Where did I go wrong?” She contemplated that mystery as she made the next call.

 

This time an attractive blonde answered. She was wearing pajamas and sitting up in a hospital bed. “Hello, Captain,” she said with a soft voice and a smile.

 

“Don’t ‘hello’ me,” Regina said. “You’re laying around in bed goldbricking when there’s work to do!”

 

The blonde was suddenly indignant. “Goldbricking? How dare you! I’ll have you know that I’ve experienced real suffering. I was injured in the line of duty! Duty, I tell you!”

 

“Oh, doodie! You broke your leg trying to impress your jarhead girlfriend by sliding down a mountain on a surfboard.”

 

“First of all, don’t call her ‘jarhead!’ She’s a proud member of the United States Marine Corps! She doesn’t like being called ‘jarhead.’”

 

“Most jarheads don’t...and they call us squids!”

 

“ _ Second  _ of all, it was a snowboard, woman! A  _ snow _ -board! It was made for sliding down mountains!”

 

“It might as well have been a surfboard the way you drive it…”

 

“Are you insulting my skill as a snowboarder?”

 

“What skill? How much skill does it take to stand on a flat piece of wood and  _ not _ fall?”

 

“More than it takes to sit on the back of some poor helpless animal and let  _ it _ do all the work!”

 

“I’ll have you know that Rocinante and I work as a team, and we’ll beat you and your surfboard in a race down any mountain any day of the week.”

 

“You’re on!” 

 

They stared each other down for a minute, then they both started giggling. When they recovered, Regina asked, “How long?”

 

Ingrid Snow sighed. “Another five months at least, to make sure the bone sets and heals properly.”

 

“Have you gone stir crazy yet?”

 

“No, because that lovely woman you called a jarhead calls me every day and visits whenever she has the time. I’m well taken care of.”

 

“Well that’s nice, but I really am mad at you…”

 

“Why?”

 

“You went and broke yourself and left a big gaping hole in my command structure. You realize they still haven’t sent me a replacement yet.

 

“Seriously?” Ingrid said. A commander in the Navy, Ingrid had been  _ Story Brooke’s  _ Tactical Action Officer until she had her accident. “It’s not like they didn’t have sufficient notice. We put in all the necessary paper work ages ago!”

 

“And yet, I’m probably not going to have a T-A-O until we’re halfway into the Atlantic.”

 

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that, Regina. I’m bedridden.”

 

“Yeah, and the reason that you’re stuck in bed is also the reason I’m short an officer, so I blame you.”

 

“Of course you do. You can be so petty sometimes...wait, why don’t you just draft your girlfriend? She’s Surface Warfare, isn’t she?”

 

Regina frowned. “Too many problems with that idea, not least of which is we had a fight yesterday.”

 

Ingrid sighed. “What did Emma do?”

 

“Well, thank you. Mary Margaret automatically assumed it was my fault.”

 

“Mary Margaret hasn’t known you as long as I have, and she doesn’t know Emma at all.”

 

“I’m not sure I do either. She crossed a line yesterday.”

 

“Can you forgive her?”

 

“Maybe, but I’m giving myself this cruise to decide.”

 

“So maybe you need a new girlfriend as well as a new T-A-O.”

 

“I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that…”

 

“Still, if it does you don’t want to wait too long. It’s ironic, but you tend to wait too long to get back on the horse. If Emma’s not right, don’t hesitate to move forward.”

 

Regina smirked. “Are you offering yourself?”

 

Ingrid chuckled. “Not a chance! I’m too attached to my jarhead. Still, it’s obvious you like blondes...oh, how about Kathryn?”

 

“I’m not rich enough for Princess Midas. She’s holding out for a mogul.”

 

“You’re the heir to a hundred million dollar fortune.”

 

“Heir being the operative word. She wants someone who’s already got the millions.”

 

“You could always knock off Cora…”

 

“I just had that same idea a minute ago.”

 

“Great minds think alike.”

 

“How about we great minds don’t think about me committing matricide just to get a girlfriend?”

 

“Whatever. It’s your love life.”

 

“So it is. I better go. You gonna be all right?”

 

“Sure. I’m fine.”

 

Regina grinned. “So your leg isn’t itching under the cast yet?”

 

“Oooh! I’d managed to forget about the itch, you  _ evil  _ woman!”

 

Regina waved. “Buh-bye now.” She closed the connection with a laugh.

 

* * *

  
  
  


A few minutes after Regina finished her call to Ingrid the second half of the air group made its final approach. This was a crewed aircraft, an MH-60R Seahawk Multirole helicopter flying out of Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Flying it was the Operations officer of Helicopter Maritime Strike squadron Seven-Four (The Swamp Foxes), Lieutenant Commander Sidney Glass, call sign “Mirror,” and his navigator, Lieutenant Commander Archie Hopper, call sign “Grass.” Once on board, Commander Glass would take command of  _ Story Brooke’s  _ air department.

 

Sidney landed the aircraft swiftly and expertly. David was there to greet him and Archie after they deplaned and walked into the port hangar bay. “Hey, Sidney,” he said as he and Sidney shook hands. “Glad to have you back aboard.”

 

“Glad to be back,” Sidney said. “It was a near thing. The op-tempo for the squadron has us spread thin. It was a toss-up whether I’d be sent here or to  _ Harry Truman _ in the Med.”

 

“Well, we had back-up in either case. We’ve got a Fire Scout in the other bay.”

 

“Whoa,” Archie deadpanned. “A _ whole _ Fire Scout? Shoot, Sid. We might as well go home. They don’t need us.”

 

The three men chuckled at that, then Sidney said, “Nah, we might as well stay and see if we can lend its crew a hand...you, know, bring ‘em soda and stuff while they work their XBoxes.”

 

More laughter, then David said, “We can work out the division of labor later. For now, the Cap’n will want to get all the department heads together now that you’re aboard…”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Soon after,  _ Story Brooke’s _ senior officers gathered in the Wardroom, the part of the ship where they would have their meals and plan strategies. For the moment, they were there so Regina could brief them on their overall mission. She waited until everyone was settled in, then she relayed their orders. “Nothing earth-shattering this cruise, ladies and gentlemen. We’re going to join Nato Group One for its next rotation.”

 

Groans could be heard throughout the space. “Great,” The Weapons Officer said, “it’s the middle of summer and we’re stil going to need parkas!”

 

Everyone chuckled except for Regina, who still smiled. Standing NATO Maritime Group One was one of two international naval task forces deployed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They were reaction forces, assembled to provide a naval component to any response force NATO might send into a crisis area. Group One usually patrolled in the Northeast Atlantic, not the warmest area even during the summer months.

 

“Well, be that as it may,” Regina said, “we will be deployed with ships from the UK, France and Spain, under the command of a Royal Navy officer, Commodore Staley. We will train, conduct sea control exercises and just basically keep ourselves busy until something blows up or until our relief arrives...and hopefully the latter will come first.

 

“Now, the sharp-eyed among you may have noticed that we’re down one officer. As most of you know, thanks to Commander Snow’s mishap we don’t have a T-A-O. I have been informed that our fine friends at Personnel Command will be sending one along presently” - she noticed several eye-rolls and had to force herself not to join them - “But until that person arrives David will handle those duties as well as his own, so he will handle the planning for regular combat drills for the foreseeable future.”

 

Sidney raised a hand. “Captain, I hear we have a special air asset aboard this cruise.”

 

“That’s right,” Regina said, “we’ve got a brand new Fire Scout to put through its paces. That’s something for you play with, Sidney. Anyone else?” No one had questions. “Okay, we’ll maintain rail security until we’re outside the 12-mile-limit, and uniform of the day is coveralls until further notice because,” - she flicked the collar of her camo uniform - “damn! Dismissed.” The other officers chuckled as they dispersed from the room.

 

It was the beginning of the first day of a typical deployment for a Navy ship, and everyone hoped it would be an uneventful one…

  
  


* * *

  
  


The day was uneventful for naval personnel working ashore. This included Emma Swan, who was currently stationed at the headquarters of Naval Surface Force (Atlantic), which was also situated in Norfolk. This posting had been a fortuitous one for Emma, because it allowed her to work with her best friend and roommate, Lieutenant Ruby Lucas. Their schedules coincided and they essentially worked day-to-day, so they could go home at the same time every evening. This evening, as Regina was well on her way across the ocean, Emma was relating the events of the previous day. “The ride back to her place was  _ lonely, _ ” Emma said as she unlocked their front door. “I mean she was right next to me and yet it was like she might has well have been on Mars. That’s how mad she was.”

 

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Ruby said. “You two are perfect together and she knows that. She’s not going to let one little diddle break you two up.” Both women took off their caps and dress blue uniform jackets and put them away in the front closet, then Emma headed to the kitchen. Ruby stopped for a moment to scoop up the mail that had been pushed through the slot in the door, then followed.

 

Emma was opening two bottles of beer when Ruby caught up. She handed one over as she said, “I hope you’re right, because Regina was  _ not _ acting like someone who wanted to be with me when she got out of the car.”

 

“Ahh, but she didn’t actually say she was breaking up with you, did she?” Ruby said.

 

“No, she said she wanted us to figure out what we wanted while she was deployed, whatever that means…”

 

“That means, pal, that you have a shot at true girlfriend greatness! She wants you to do something that proves you love her for her, and you literally have months to figure out how to do that.”

 

“That may not be enough time. I’ve never been good at the whole romance part of being a girlfriend, as all my ex-girlfriends can attest.”

 

“Well, then, apply what you’re good at. Think  _ tactically, _ with Regina’s love as the objective.”

 

“No, see, doing that is how I got myself in this mess in the first place.”

 

Ruby shrugged. “Well, then I got nothing.” She put her beer on a counter and sorted the mail. “Bill, bill, phone offer...oh! Hey, you might like this one…”

 

“Is it for me? If it’s not important just shred it.”

 

“Okay, whatever you say. If you want me to shred a letter from Personnel Command…”

 

Emma’s eyes went wide. “Don’t you dare!”

 

Ruby grinned at successfully scaring Emma. The other woman had recently been selected for promotion to Lieutenant Commander, subject to evaluation and recommendation from the relevant promotion board. Emma had been waiting with bated breath for word on the decision since she’d found out her name came up.

 

Ruby extended the envelope to Emma and Emma reached for it..then she snatched her hand away. “I can’t! You open it!”

 

Ruby smirked. “You  _ pussy... _ ”

 

“Whatever, woman, just open it!”

 

Ruby made a show of examining the envelope first. “Hmmm...it’s kinda thick. Looks like a few things in there...or maybe they just took a few pages to explain why they’re  _ demoting _ you…”

 

“Ruby!”

 

Ruby giggled and tore open the envelope and pulled out a few printed pages. She read the top page first. She frowned. “Oh, Emma...I’m sorry…”

 

Emma’s face fell.

 

“Sorry for  _ myself _ …” Ruby grinned, “...cause now I have to  _ salute you, _ bitch!”

 

Emma’s eyes widened as Ruby thrust the top page at her. She snatched it out of her roommate’s hand and read: “Commander...Force Atlantic...Emma Swan...You are hereby promoted to the rank of  Lieutenant Commander, with all rights and privileges pertainEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” She screamed, and Ruby screamed, and then they jumped around the kitchen like idiots for a few seconds, then Ruby stopped and stood ramrod straight.

 

When Emma stopped, Ruby saluted and said, “Sir!”

 

Emma came to attention and returned the salute. “Sir!”

 

They traded salutes back and forth until they fell into helpless giggling, and finally they hugged. “I’m so happy for you, bud!” Ruby said.

 

“Thank you,” Emma said, then they parted with one more little squeeze. That was when they both remembered the rest of the pages. “What else is there?”

 

“Right.” Ruby skimmed the next page. “Oh, okay...this is information on the promotion ceremony...okay, and where to get your new insignia and stuff.” She kept browsing till she got to the final pages. “Oh...hey, these look like orders.”

 

“Orders?”

 

“Yeah.” Ruby handed over the pages. “Wait! I get it. They had to fast-track you because somebody needed a short commander to fill a slot somewhere.”

 

“Well, it’s nice to be needed…” Emma muttered as she started reading the orders. Ruby watched as she waited to find out where Emma would be going. She was concerned as a strange look came over Emma’s face.

 

Then Emma laughed, softly at first, then loudly, then near maniacally as she handed the orders back to Ruby and left the kitchen, and she kept laughing all the way to her bedroom. She slammed the door shut behind her as she went in. She could still be heard laughing through the wall.

 

Ruby cocked an eyebrow at that, then read the orders herself. “From blah blah to Emma Swan…’Upon promotion you are requested and required to report aboard U.S.S. Story Brooke ASAP and assume the post of Tactical Action Officer…’” Ruby had to think about it a minute. “ _ Storybrooke? _ ”

 

Then she turned to Emma’s bedroom door and called out: “Isn’t this Regina’s ship?”


	3. The Second Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're still with me, thank you. Enjoy!

The next morning was a special one for Atlantic Surface Force headquarters. Five lieutenants stationed here were receiving promotions to Lieutenant Commander this day. There were two female and three male officers, and of the total three of the officers were moving on to other posts immediately afterward. That was why the ceremony had been set up so quickly. Fortunately there was no urgent need for the conference room they were using.

 

Emma was one of the officers moving on. She had set up transport to the  _ Story Brooke _ that would have her boarding the ship by the end of the week, barring any screwups. She still had to pack, but that wouldn’t take long at all. It would be more difficult making financial preparations for the deployment, but she’d get started on those as soon as the ceremony was over.

 

Each of the lieutenants could have family members attend and assist with the ceremony, but only one had relatives that lived close by, so the rest made do with friends and co-workers. Emma didn’t really have family anywhere, having enlisted after aging out of the foster system. Today, her friend and colleague Ruby, the next best thing to family, would stand by her.

 

A few minutes before start time a three-star admiral with salt-and-pepper hair and a friendly smile walked in leading a few other officers. The admiral was the Commander, Naval Suface Force (Atlantic), and had elected to preside over the promotions himself. Among his entourage were Emma’s immediate superior, a commander, and the admiral’s Chief of Staff, a captain.

 

The admiral took a few moments to greet each future commander individually. He got to Emma last. “It’s good to see you here, Lieutenant,” he told her with a grin. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.”

 

“Thank you, sir,” Emma said with a blush. “Frankly, I was worried I’d never get here.”

 

“But you got here, so now you can put your mind at ease about that.”

 

“I’m also a little worried about my next posting, sir.”

 

“You’re taking a T-A-O slot, right?” She nodded, and he waved off the concern. ”Just do the same fine work you’ve done here...oh, but try and stay on your C-O’s good side.”

 

He chuckled and moved off, and Emma laughed nervously and said, “Right. Yes, sir.”  _ Yeah...about that… _

 

“All right, lieutenants,” the Chief of Staff said, “if you’ll form up we’re ready to start.”

 

The five lieutenants formed into a line and stood at ease as the admiral and his chief stood opposite them. The chief handed the admiral a leather folio. The three-star opened it up, scanned the contents, then nodded at his aide.

 

“Attention to orders!” The Chief of Staff called out. Everyone in the room wearing a uniform came to attention.

 

When he saw that the admiral cleared his throat, called out the names of the five lieutenants, then said, “By order of the Chief of Naval Operations, you are all hereby promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, with all rights and priveleges attaining.”

 

Everyone was in their dress blue uniforms, with the selectees sporting their shoulder boards and rank insignia. When the admiral was done talking, the lieutenants’ companions switched out the lieutenants’ boards and applied ones for lieutenant commander.

 

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Ruby whispered as she added Emma’s new boards and insignia. “It’s only a half stripe.”

 

“It’s a half stripe more than you got,” Emma whispered back.

 

Ruby stuck her tongue out a centimeter or two before turning away.

 

With the officers formally promoted, the admiral raised his right hand and said, “Raise your right hands and repeat after me: ‘I, State-your-name…’”

 

“I, Emma Swan,” Emma said, “having been appointed a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God.”

 

The admiral closed the folio and smiled. “Congratulations, Commanders!”

 

The new commanders started breathing again as the rest of the assemblage cheered and 

applauded. The admiral stayed just long enough to shake each of their hands and offer more well wishes before heading out of the room.

 

“So, ready to ship out?” Ruby asked Emma.

 

“I will be by the end of the day,” Emma said. “Commander Vasquez let me have the rest of the day to get everything in order.”

 

Ruby’s eyebrow went up. “You have any idea what you’re going to say to Regina when you get there?”

 

Emma shrugged. “You mean other than, ‘Hi, Regina! Please don’t make me walk the plank?’ Nope! I’m clueless.”

 

“Clock’s ticking, bud. Ya better think of something.”

 

“Yes, thank you for stating the painfully obvious, Rubes. Where would I be without you?”

 

“Friendless, penniless, possibly in and out of prison, pregnant with someone’s love child…”

 

“Wow...you don’t think much of yourself at all, do you?”

 

Ruby grinned. “That’s me...a humble life saver.”

 

“Great, but it’s not my life that needs saving…”

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Aboard  _ Story Brooke _ , officers were cycling in and out of the wardroom to have breakfast before reporting to morning watches or other duties. Tina Bell and R.G. Fairey arrived together and sat together with trays filled with big breakfasts. They were gearing up for a day of multirole helicopter exercises overseen by Commander Glass. That’s what Lt. Fairey’s mind was on as she dug in.

 

Tina’s was on...different things. “I wonder what she does to make her skin look so smooth and dreamy?”

 

R.G. dropped her fork and did a facepalm. “Really, Tink? You’re still on this?”

 

“Still on what?” Tina said innocently. “What am I on?”

 

“The captain’s metaphorical dick,” R.G. grumped.

 

Tina suddenly gasped. “O-M-G! What if she actually had one…?”

 

“Yeah, okay...we’re not going down that road. Look, Tink, I get that those little hormones of yours race a mile a minute whenever you meet an older woman that’s halfway attractive…”

 

“Not ‘halfway,’ Boss. She is a goddess! An absolute Latina goddess in a uniform and she came down from heaven to be on the same ship with me!”

 

“No, she came from Surface Warfare School and she’s on the ship to command it, and the fact that you’re here too is a matter of coincidence.”

 

“A  _ happy _ coincidence! A  _ fateful _ coincidence! The kind of coincidence that true and sexy romances are spawned from.”

 

“Well, you’re not going to be ‘spawning’ anything, ‘cause you’re a junior grade looie and she’s a bird-captain and she’s barely going to remember your name over the next six months.”

 

“Well I can dream, can’t I? In fact I  _ did  _ dream about her last night! I was in the hangar bay with Girl Scout and I was standing in front of it stark naked, and you know what she did…?”

 

R.G. held up a hand. “No, and I don’t want to know, especially while I’m eating!”

 

Tina was going to fire back when a cheerful voice broke in. “Hey, you guys are the UAV crew, right?”

 

The girls turned to the voice and found Mary Margaret sitting down at the table next to Tina. “Yep,” Tina said. “I’m Lt. Bell and this is my boss, Lt. Fairey.”

 

“Mary Margaret Blanchard,” Mary Margaret said as she shook both their hands, “Chief Engineer.” She settled into her seat and said, “Okay...let me see if I can guess your call signs.” She took a minute to think and then pointed at Tina. “They call you ‘Tinker,’ right.”

 

“Guilty,” Tina said, then she pointed to her yellow-blonde hair with the bangs and the bun. “They see this hair, hear my voice and find out my last name’s ‘Bell’ and it’s like a big neon sign screaming ‘TINKER.’”

 

Mary Margaret chuckled at that, then she regarded R.G. thoughtfully. “Yours has to have something to do with fairies, right? Like ‘godmother’ or ‘good.’ Magic? Something like that?”

 

R.G. rolled her eyes and huffed, “Blue.”

 

Tina chuckled. Mary Margaret didn’t get it. “Wait...was there ever a Disney movie with a blue fairy?”

 

“Yep,” Tina said mischievously, “ _ Pinocchio _ ...but that’s not why they call her ‘Blue.’”

 

“Tinker…” R.G. said, warning note in her voice.

 

“Come on, Boss! Entertain the ChEng with the story of your call sign!”

 

R.G. glared at her for a moment, then turned back to her meal and sighed as she began. “Well, I’m the fifth of six kids, and all my siblings have normal first names. My older brothers and sisters are named John, Jason, Caroline and Megan. Those are all nice, normal names, right?”

 

“Sure,” Mary Margaret said.

 

“And almost everyone in the family was perfectly happy with them. The one notable exception was my Grandma on my mother’s side who was hella old world and hella judgmental, and every time my parents told her what the next child’s name was going to be she had a problem with it. ‘John? Och, so boring!’ ‘Jason? Och no, it’s no good!’ ‘Caroline? Och, no, not a proper name for a young lady!’

 

“So when Meg was born and Grams went into her spiel, my dad had had enough, and he told her ‘Look, old lady, if you think you can name our kids better than us, prove it!’ Mom agreed. Then six months later they found out Mom was pregnant with me. Then I was born, and Grams held them to what they said.”

 

Mary Margaret’s eyebrow went up. “And what did she name you?”

 

R.G. hesitated. “Reul Ghorm.”

 

The engineer almost choked on a forkful of eggs.  _ “Reul Ghorm???” _

 

R.G. ignored Tina’s giggling as she continued. “Like I said, the old bat was hella old world, and as far as she was concerned the old world was better with names because they were more unique.”

 

“I’ll give her that one…” Mary Margaret said.

 

“Of course, my parents were well aware of the number of fights I’d get into growing up with such an asinine name, so they always addressed me as ‘R-G’ and listed that as my first name on official documents. In fact, that’s even how I signed up, or tried to. It seems that when the Navy says, ‘full name,’ on its forms, it’s not kidding. So I couldn’t hide my name from my fellow sailors, especially the ones I went through flight school with.”

 

“And how does that relate to your call sign?”

 

“Well, obviously the name ‘Reul Ghorm’ isn’t any kind of English, so everybody always asks what it means.”

 

“And what does it mean?”

 

“‘Blue Star,’ and when my classmates heard that they realized they didn’t need to give me a call sign because my actual name is ridiculous enough, so everybody calls me ‘Blue Star Fairy,’ and that just ends up being shortened to ‘Blue.’”

 

“Well, R-G, that has to be both the saddest and the funniest story I’ve ever heard.”

 

“Isn’t it?” Tina said. “I call her ‘Boss’ because she keeps threatening to have me court martialed if I ever call her ‘Blue.’”

 

“I might not wait…” R.G. muttered under her breath.

 

Mary Margaret was giggling now, but Tina shook her out of the fit with an abrupt change of subject. “Okay, enough about blue fairies! I have an important question! How much do you know about the captain?”

 

Mary Margaret blinked. “She’s a good friend, actually, so I know a lot about her. Why?”

 

“I just need to know two things: is she gay and is she single?”

 

Mary Margaret raised a brow again, but answered honestly. “Well, she’s actually bi. It’s more about the connection for her than the plumbing. As for if she’s single…” She made a show of thinking about, then said with a smile, “That’s kind of TBD. Why don’t you keep yourself ready for an opportunity?”

 

“Yes!” Tina cheered with a fist pump.

 

“Do you have to encourage her?” R.G. asked.

 

“I think everybody could use a little encouragement once in a while,” Mary Margaret said off-handedly as she went back to her breakfast. She was especially happy to encourage Tina. She seemed just Regina’s type, and if her current mystery girlfriend didn’t appreciate what she had, maybe it was time to fix ‘Gina up with someone who would…

 

* * *

  
  
  


Regina had finished breakfast in her quarters a little while ago, so she was at her desk updating the ship’s logs and taking care of other paperwork when a knock came at her door. “Come!” She called out without looking up.

 

David walked in. “Good news, Cap’n! Personnel finally got around to expediting!”

 

That made Regina look up. “Well, halleluia! When are we getting our new officer?”

 

“End of the week. A C-O-D flight’s going to drop her off in Iceland when we pull in to refuel.”

 

“Her?”

 

“Yep. We’re getting a female officer...because we don’t have any of those…”

 

“Aww. Feeling outnumbered, David?”

 

“Just being together with Mary Margaret makes me feel outnumbered. I’m used to it.”

 

Regina chuckled. “Okay...so what’s this woman’s qualifications?”

 

David consulted his tablet. “I think we’ve got a good one...she’s just been promoted to Lieutenant Commander and is coming off a stint at Atlantic Fleet. Before that she was deputy T-A-O aboard the  _ Oscar Austin _ and Weapons Officer on a couple of Tico’s.”

 

“Sounds like we can use her,” Regina said, but her mind started working.  _ Why does that resume sound familiar? _

 

“Sounds like,” David said as he handed her the tablet.

 

Regina skimmed the display and saw the picture in the top right corner. She tried very hard not to let her face react.

 

Apparently not hard enough. “Something wrong, Cap’n?”

 

“No. No, I’m fine.” She handed the tablet back. “Thank you, David. Anything else?”

 

“We’re stiil sorting through the morning dispatches, but I figured you’d want to hear about this one right away.”

 

Regina forced a smile on her face. “Of course. I’ll see you in Combat for the morning exercise.”

 

“Aye, Captain,” David said with a nod, then he left the cabin.

 

When the door closed fully, Regina let the shock and anger show on her face as she hissed through her teeth: “SHIT!”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Slightly eventful mornings evolved into routine days for Emma, Regina and their coworkers and loved ones. Nightime was more eventful, at least for others in a different part of the Atlantic.

 

One of the people driving events was an attractive young woman with long red hair and dressed down in exercise leggings and a sweatshirt. She was closed up in a dark, windowless cabin, the only light coming from the several computer flatscreen monitors she was watching and the two programmers’ keyboards with lighted keys she was using to input commands.

 

The woman’s name was Zelena West, but she liked to think of herself as the Wicked Witch of the Dark Web. A programming prodigy in her teens, she’d spent most of her adult years both working and playing on the illegal side of the Internet, using identity theft and credit fraud to pay the bills and breaking into government and business systems for the fun of it. She came close to getting caught once, two years prior, but then opportunity knocked in the form of a regular job that was lucrative, off-the-books and, most importantly, would take her to international waters, far from the legal jurisdictions of her native United Kingdom.

 

At the moment she was working on a special project for her employers. “Special” projects were ones that were exceedingly illegal and potentially dangerous, but usually led to enormous pay-offs. They also tended to tax Zelena’s skill set to the limit, which she loved. That was when she could be the most creative.

 

This job didn’t require too much effort, though. She’d had enough practice, knew all the firewalls she had to break down, knew all the tools that would work best. She worked swiftly but diligently, paying strict attention to her coding as she hacked into servers and workstations until she had control of the systems she wanted. “Aha,” she whispered at that moment. “There we are. Now, my little monkeys, it’s time for you to do as mummy says.”

 

With that she executed the final command…

 

* * *

  
  
  


Ten nautical miles away, one of the largest and most advanced pleasure ships afloat was at the halfway point in her cruise from London to New York. She was Neverland Cruise Lines’ newest ship, the MS  _ Tiger Lily _ . Weighing in at over a hundred thousand tons and carrying more than five thousand passengers, the massive floating hotel was a state-of-the-art vessel, offering every sort of amenity that vacationing customers might wish to find aboard.

 

Still, a ship at sea needed a dedicated crew, so as passengers spent this late evening in bars, restaurants, concert halls and on romantic walks on deck, the Midwatch had just competed its first hour on the bridge. The officer of the deck was a Lieutenant, Junior Grade, one with Merchant Marine experience but new to cruise ships. His first cruise on a pleasure boat was turning out to be just as boring as he’d feared.

It was about to turn exciting in a way he’d come to regret. “Sir,” the navigator called out, “the navigation system is indicating an unscheduled course change.”

 

The OOD turned to look at the Ensign. “”Really? What course?”

 

“In exactly one mile we’re to turn due north and transit another ten miles to an end point.”

 

“That’s not right…” the OOD muttered as he came over to see the navigation display himself. He knew that much, anyway. The routes of modern cruise ships were laid out much the same way as commercial airliners. They were regular and predictable, established as well-known routes for commercial sea traffic, and said routes were entered into modern ships’ navigation systems and followed closely. As for _ Tiger Lily _ , her current course should be West by Southwest. There was no reason to turn due north and nothing ten miles away. Yet, as he checked the navigation display, he saw that two extra waypoints had been added to the ship’s track, indicating the course change the Navigator had reported.

 

“Gotta be a glitch, the OOD said, “Run a diagnostic.”

 

“Aye,  sir.” The navigator put the navigation computer through a diagnostic cycle. It only took a few minutes. When it was done: “The system is functioning normally. It reads the course change as valid.”

 

“Well, it’s not,” the Lieutenant said, a little petulantly. “See if a reboot will help.”

 

“Aye.” The navigator hit some controls on his panel in preparation, then hit the “Master Reset” button. The navigation computer shut down, leaving the display in “blue-screen-of-death” mode for exactly thirty seconds. It restarted, spent a moment or two recalibrating, then returned to full function, displaying _ Tiger Lily _ ’s proper course…

 

...for exactly ten seconds, after which the course change to an area due North returned.

 

The OOD frowned. If this were a proper course change it would have to be relayed from the Neverland Lines’ control center in Faslane, Scotland, and notification would have come by radio first. This was some kind of malfunction. They were bound for New York, and New York  _ wasn’t  _ North.

 

_ Decision time _ . “Helm, maintain course and speed.” To the navigator he said, “Ignore the nav computer. We still have paper charts. Plot our route on those and I’ll get an Engineer up here to check the hardware on this thing.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Zelena shook her head as she watched the icon representing  _ Tiger Lily _ sail past her prescribed course. “Cheeky little monkeys,” she muttered, “never do what you’re told the first time. Mummy spank…”

 

With that, she executed a new command…

 

* * *

  
  
  


“Are we slowing?” The OOD said. He turned to the helmsman. “I said maintain course and speed…!”

 

“Aye, sir!” The young woman at the helm said. “My course is two-five-one and my speed is Ahead Standard.”

 

The OOD came over to see for himself. Sure enough, they were on course and the annunciator was dialed to “Standard,” but he could feel the ship slowing down through the deck plates. Frustrated, he stalked over to the intercom, picked up the receiver and hit the button for “Engineering.”

 

“Engine Room,” the officer on watch said when he picked up.

 

“Bridge.  What’s happening down there? Why are we slowing down?”

 

There was a strange pause, then the officer said, “Sir, my annunciator says ‘Ahead Slow.’”

 

“It does? When did it change?”

 

“Just a minute ago.”

 

_ Shit! _ “Bring us back to Ahead Standard. Until further notice all speed commands will be made through the intercom.”

 

“Aye Aye, sir.”

 

With that done, the OOD decided to do something he really didn’t want to do…

  
  


* * *

  
  


Zelena clucked as she watched the  _ Tiger Lily _ speed up again, then she put on a headset and keyed the mike. “Captain, sir, they’re not going for it.”

 

A roguish Irish voice responded, “Really, Zelena, I think you’ve lost your charm…”

 

“It’s not me,” Zelena said. “They’re just too stubborn. Someone will have to have a word with them.”

 

“Well, in that case you know what to do…”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Marco Geppetto, Captain of the  _ Tiger Lily _ , had retired after a long and fruitful day and was sound asleep in his quarters, not expecting to be awakened until the start of morning watch. His sleep was so deep, in fact, that the intercom phone near his bed rang nine times before he was shaken out of it. He answered groggily.  “Yes?”

 

“Bridge, sir,” The OOD said, “Lieutenant Humbert. Sorry to wake you, sir, but we’re experiencing some strange technical difficulties with the helm and navigation systems.”

 

“Define strange,” Geppetto said. Lt. Humbert explained what had happened and what he’d done about it. “All right...contact Faslane and verify our intended course and continue to issue speed commands by com.  Call me back once you have word from Control.” He hung up after that. The call to control center shouldn’t take long. He’d wait up long enough to hear what they said. The problems were more a nuisance than anything serious. They could navigate on paper and control speed with voice commands, so his bosses would likely just reaffirm what they were already doing. He could go back to sleep momentarily.

 

Or so he thought. When he answered the phone five minutes later,  an audibly shaken Lt. Humbert reported, “Sir, all ship-to-shore comms have gone off-line.”

 

Geppetto sat up in bed. “All??” That should have been impossible. The ship was equipped with all modern forms of wireless communication, as well as old-fashioned radio telephones and short-wave.

 

“Yes, sir. Our wi-fi is down and we can’t get a response on radio.”

 

Geppetto threw off his bedcovers. “I’ll be up there in five minutes.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Zelena was grateful that so much of the cruise ship was covered by a proper network of security cameras, bridge included. She had a good view of the whole space, keeping her eye on the cute bearded officer trying to keep order, while she waited for the main player in this game. He arrived a handful of minutes after the bearded lieutenant reported the communications blackout she’d caused.

 

Zelena grinned and keyed her mike.  “Oh, Captain, sir, your opposite number is on the bridge. Time to make your phone call.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


As he stepped onto the bridge, Geppetto’s gaze fell immediately on Lt. Humbert, who came to attention. “Sir, nothing has changed since we last spoke. Petty Officer Booth is trying to determine if our navigation problems are due to hardware malfunction.”

 

Geppetto turned to the navigation console and found an engineer poking around an inspection hatch. Before he could inquire as to his progress, an officer at the communications console spoke up. “Captain? We have ship-to-ship communications! We’re being hailed!”

 

“By whom?”

 

“No identification! Sir...he wants to talk to you…”

 

Geppetto stalked over to the console and took the receiver from the officer. “This is Captain Geppetto! Who the devil is this?”

 

There was a pause on the line, then a playful voice said,  “Call me Captain Hook.”

 

“Is that supposed to be a joke?” Geppetto said. He was not amused.

 

“Actually, I believe you’ll come to see it’s rather appropriate, but suffice it to say that though you may be the captain of the  _ Tiger Lily, _ right now I’m the man in control of her.”

 

“Have you been causing our technical failures?”

 

“I have...oh, you can let your man know that there’s nothing wrong with the navigation system. It’s working fine. It’s just under new management.”

 

“What do you want?”

 

“Let’s start with something simple: Come due North and slow to ten knots, and maintain said course and speed until I say otherwise.”

 

“And if I refuse?”

 

“Now, Captain, I’ve been nice up to this moment. Don’t make me do something rash, such as turning off your power, shutting down your ventilation…”

 

“All right! All right…” Geppetto turned to the helm.  “Come right to zero degrees true, ahead slow.”

 

The helmsman acknowledged and made the turn, then Lt. Humbert remembered his previous orders and went to the intercom to relay the speed command to Engineering.

 

“There, that’s much better,” Captain Hook said.

 

“What else do you want?” Geppetto asked.

 

“Here’s where the name becomes appropriate: you’re going to run an anti-piracy drill.”

 

“What?”

 

“I assume you have one? A contingency in the event of pirates sailing up to your pretty ship and trying to board?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“And what does that entail?”

 

“It’s a lockdown. While we try to prevent boarding we get the passengers into their accomodations and have them lock themselves in while the crew secures the Bridge and Engine Room.”

 

“There! That’s perfect! I want you to do exactly that. Run an anti-piracy drill...but make sure the passengers think it’s a drill. Get them into quarters with as little fuss and panic as you can manage.”

 

“May I inform the crew that it is not a drill?”

 

“Oh, yes, because once you’ve locked down I’m going to send some of my men aboard.  _ They  _ will be the ones to secure the Bridge and Engine Room and your people need to know to cooperate fully.”

 

“What do you hope to gain? Do you intend to raid the purser’s office? Our petty cash? It seems a great deal of effort for minimal return.”

 

“And you’d be right, if I thought that small, but when you relay my demands to your superiors, you’ll see that I’m playing a much bigger game…”


	4. The Third Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're still with me, thank you and hope you like!

Rupert Stillson Gold hated being awakened in the wee hours of the morning. Interrupted sleep never meant anything good, and the worst kind of interrupted sleep was when one’s bosses were doing the interrupting. Work was one of the things sleep helped you escape. If your employer could reach you even in your dreams, that meant there was no escape. The very idea was depressing.

 

Rupert Gold was the Chief Financial Officer of Tremaine Maritime Guaranty,  a shipping finance and insurance company headquartered in his native Edinburgh. Since the emergency call had come from his immediate superiors, he assumed that the problem involved one of the thousands of commercial and private vessels the company either paid for or insured worldwide. These problems were usually serious, but often predictable. Likely, a container ship had run aground and lost some expensive cargo, or some rich duffer’s eighty foot sailing yacht was sunk in a storm, or some cruise liner had an epidemic of dysentery. Whatever the problem, it was serious enough to warrant getting the company’s top executives together to make a decision, but meetings of that nature didn’t actually take that long unless they were Cover-Our-Arses meetings.

 

His driver let Gold out at the main entrance to TMG’s office building. In the lobby Gold flashed his work ID at the security desk and went straight to the main elevators, which he took to the floors that housed TMG’s corporate offices. From there he went straight to the main conference room.

 

There were three people waiting for him, two women and one man. The women, a long-haired brunette and a short-haired blonde, were his bosses. The brunette, a slim woman who thought dressing like a fashion model in Milan was appropriate for the office, was Fiona Black, the company’s Chief Operations Officer. The blonde, who dressed more appropriately but had other traits Gold couldn’t stand, was Victoria Belfrey, Lady Tremaine, a peer who’s family and estate had lived off the considerable profits TMG generated since back in the old British East India Company days. She was Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer, titles that came with the rest of her inheritance, making her, in Gold’s eyes, a glorified trust fund baby.

 

He didn’t recognize the man, but he did recognize the type, or the stereotype anyway. The man was tall and had a blocky build, with a rough face and even rougher hands. His black suit was a size too big and his tie loose and threadbare, and he gave off a general air of menace merely looking in one’s direction. The countenance and body language screamed “Irish Copper,” and that possibility actually served as a clue to what might be happening.

 

Lady Tremaine was the first to address him as he entered. “Mr. Gold,” she said, “so good of you to join us.”

 

“Let me guess,” Fiona Black said, sneering, “Traffic hold you up?”

 

Gold grimaced. “Simply reluctant to give up my sorely needed slumber just to spend time with you beyond normal business hours,” He said. Fiona’s sneer morphed into a frown, and her retort would have been truly biting had Lady Tremaine not stopped her.

 

“Not now, you two,” she said. “Mr. Gold, this is Mr. Simon Cahill of Interpol.”

 

“Pleasure,” The man said as he extended his hand to Gold. The one word was heavy with his brogue, and his gruff voice added to the image. So, an  _ international _ Irish Copper, then. Gold shook hands with the man and tried not to lose his own in the formidable grip.

 

“So,” Gold said afterwards, “I’ll take a wild guess. With Interpol in our offices...hijacking?”

 

“The  _ Tiger Lily _ ,” Fiona said, “Neverland Lines’ newest and smartest.”

 

“A cruise ship?” Gold wondered aloud. He’d expected it to be one of the container ships transiting Malacca Strait or along the African coast. The average greedy pirate wouldn’t waste the energy. Too many people to control. A terrorist interested in taking human hostages, however, rarely demanded money. “Where was this?”

 

“At last report,” Cahill said. “ _ Tiger Lily _ was passing through the bottom of the Denmark Strait. Their handlers lost all radio and digital contact with the vessel about two hours before the ransom demand was made.”

 

Gold frowned. “The Denmark Strait? Piracy in the North Atlantic?”

 

“You say that as if it’s impossible,” Fiona said.

 

“Obviously it’s possible, but the last time it was ‘A Thing’ shipping was conducted in giant sailboats.”

 

“Seems it’s becomin’ a thing again,’ Cahill said. “This is the fourth such attack on a cruise liner over the past four months. All four ships were transatlantic liners transiting North Atlantic routes.”

 

“How could something like that be kept out of the news?” Fiona asked.

 

“It’s the hijackers’ M-O, ma’am,” Cahill said. “They use technical means to hack into the ships’ communication and navigation systems, then force the crews to lock down the passengers in secret. Only then do armed men board the ship. From there, they have the crew contact their bosses with the understanding that no one call the police. The cruise lines in turn call their insurers.”

 

“And the insurers deal with the hijackers,” Lady Tremaine said, “and with only employees and corporate heads in the know, the lines and the insurers can make up whatever story they want between them.”

 

“A collision,” Cahill said, “engine failure, the toilets explodin’” - he shrugged - “whatever story they can sell to the passengers horrific enough to hide what really happened.”

 

“One question,” Gold said. “If the hijackers say, ‘No Police,’ how are you involved?”

 

“The previous victim was the  _ Arendelle America _ . The captain of that ship contacted a nearby U.S. Coast Guard vessel when his navigation system went down. He did that before callin’ his bosses, so law enforcement had already been in the loop when their comms went down. Arendelle Lines worked hard to prevent any investigation with one of those implausible cover stories, but that just made the Coasties more suspicious, so they looked into it and found that two more implausible accidents had been preceded by similar outages. They passed the information on to their F-B-I and the F-B-I in turn alerted us, because we could exploit resources in this situation that they couldn’t. Since then we’ve had monitoring of cruise liners’ ship-to-shore communications set up. Neverland didn’t call us. We called them when we saw  _ Tiger Lily _ go dark, and they provided the details.”

 

While Gold let that information sink in, Fiona asked, “And I suppose we’re meant to pay some sort of ransom?”

 

Lady Tremaine nodded. “Or they say they’ll destroy the ship.”

 

“Can they, though? Destroy something so big with just computer hacking?”

 

“It’s not so much what they do to the ship,” Cahill said, “it’s the effect they can have on the passengers and crew. There are any number of ways they can use computers to harm the vessel’s occupants.”

 

“But we should assume they mean ‘destroy’ in the literal sense until we know otherwise…” Lady Tremaine said.

 

“What are their demands?” Gold asked.

 

Lady Tremaine sighed. “One-point-oh-five billion pounds sterling.”

 

Gold rolled his eyes and laughed mirthlessly. Fiona’s laugh was incredulous. “Seriously??” She said.

 

“Why the point-oh-five?” Cahill asked. “If you’re gonna ask for a billion, why wouldn’t you just ask for an even billion?”

 

“Given what you’ve told us it actually makes sense,” Gold said. “The policy we have with Neverland insures each of their vessels for damages up to between three-fifths and three-quarters of the vessels’ construction costs. One-point-oh-five billion is exactly three-quarters of the cost of building  _ Tiger Lily _ . One of the things we’d make such a payout for would be a constructive total loss of the ship.”

 

Lady Tremaine continued. “A ‘constructive total loss’ means the ship is destroyed, but in such a way that it may be salvaged and rebuilt.”

 

“It’s part of the cover story, you see,” Gold said. “If both TMG and Neverland record that  _ Tiger Lily  _ suffered a constructive total loss and a payout was made, the ship can sail away with no harm to the passengers and crew.”

 

“And we’re expected to pay either way,” Fiona said. “Either we pay the pirates now or we’ll have to pay Neverland later after  _ Tiger Lily’s _ destroyed.”

 

“With the difference being,” Gold said, “no one dies if it’s the former.”

 

Cahill nodded. Now he had the full picture. “So what will TMG do?”

 

“Well, we can’t pay!” Fiona said. “We can’t let ourselves be the victims of that kind of extortion!”

 

“We’re not actually the victims in this situation,” Gold said, “and while the amount is excessive, it won’t break us.”

 

“No, but it will put a massive dent in our liquidity. Can’t we negotiate? Say, dump a million quid each in a bag for the pirates and call it a day?”

 

“No one’s negotiatin’,” Cahill said. “At least, the hijackers haven’t contacted us since they relayed their demands, and they haven’t responded to attempts to contact them.”

 

“Well then, shouldn’t you and your people be planning some sort of rescue operation?”

 

Cahill sighed. “Ma’am, we’re not even exactly sure of  _ Tiger Lily’s _ current position. The transponder Neverland use to track her remotely has been turned off, and we only have contact with the crew through their captors, so they can’t tell us where they are. It will take time to find both the cruise ship and the ship the pirates are using as a base, and even more time to assemble an assault force and get it to the region. That’s time we don’t have.”

 

“To be specific,” Lady Tremaine said as she looked at her watch, “we have exactly one hour and twenty minutes to take a decision and get the ball rolling if we agree to pay.”

 

“We  _ can’t _ pay,” Fiona said, standing her ground.

 

“We  _ will _ pay,” Gold countered, “for a few reasons. First, doing so will allow both companies to resolve the situation without causing a media firestorm. Second, we have the werewithal to pay. Our capital reserve is large enough to withstand an outlay that size. Finally...well, you said it yourself, Fiona dear, we’re going to pay anyway. Better to pay to save thousands of lives than to pay to compensate for their loss.”

 

Lady Tremaine nodded at that, then asked, “And what does Interpol think, Mr. Cahill?”

 

“Actually, ma’am, we were hopin’ that you’d agree to pay. We expect that a payment that large would have to be made electronically, so we were hopin’ you’d pay and give us the routing numbers the pirates give you. We have technical people who can use that information to track the bad actors down. Right now it’s our best chance.”

 

“Looks like you’re outvoted, dearie,” Gold said to Fiona.

 

Fiona pointed at Cahill. “He doesn’t get a vote!”

 

“But  _ I _ get the final vote!” Lady Tremaine said. “Mr. Gold, will you please arrange to transfer the funds once we know where to send them?”

 

Gold nodded and headed out of the conference room. “Have to wake some bankers. I’ll be in my office.”

 

“Fiona, I’ll need you to go over our policy with Neverland. With what’s about to happen we’ll have to discontinue  _ Tiger Lily’s _  coverage.”

 

“They won’t be happy,” Fiona warned.

 

“I don’t imagine they’re very happy right now. Please get started.”

 

Fiona sighed and left to go to her own office.

 

“Now, Mr. Cahill, let’s go to my office and let Neverland know we’ve decided to cooperate…”

 

* * *

  
  
  


TMG was ready to transfer the money less than ten minutes before the deadline. Zelena noted that and got ready. Once the banks entered the provided routing number into their systems, the money would begin a journey that would route it through servers around the world, laundering it in transit. The trick was making sure no law enforcement agency managed to trace it to its final destinations, mainly several secret accounts that were untraceable by all but the most dedicated means. Up to this point, her vigilance had been unnecessary. No agency with those means had ever attempted to find them

 

That made tonight’s activity a new experience. “Oh, dear…” Zelena muttered, then she keyed her mike and reported as she got to work. “Oh, captain, it looks like someone is on to us.”

 

“How do you know?” Captain Hook asked.

 

“I’m detecting a trace on our money’s route. Working to counter it…” She was typing quickly but not in a panicked way. She knew exactly what to do.

 

“Any idea who it is?” Hook said.

 

Zelena took a moment to study the trace’s programming. “Looks like software used by Interpol’s Cybercrimes people,” she said.

 

“Interpol? We’ve no intelligence that they’ve been contacted.”

 

“Well, now you do,”  Zelena said, a little impatiently.

 

“Can you stop it?”

 

Now she felt truly insulted.  “Yes, I can, and to answer any further blindingly obvious questions, yes, I am female, ginger and devastatingly beautiful. Now let me work.” Zelena resolved to ignore any further interruptions while she fought off the “good guys.” In this case she decided that the old Americanisms about defense and offense were true. She would counter the trace by backtracking it to its control stations and installing viruses that would take them over. It would take a minute or two, so she delayed the trace by adding cutout destinations to the money’s route. As she worked she was starting to enjoy herself. It was the first time in months she’d had to face any kind of challenge.

 

Of course it wasn’t _ that _ much of a challenge. “Done,” she reported to Hook. Thirty seconds after she completed her work the trace ended, which meant its masters were too busy trying to regain control of their own systems to follow the money. They would, of course, eventually regain control, but not before the money got to where it was going with no way for Interpol to take up the pursuit again.

 

It took the Captain a moment to respond, probably taking time to check their accounts. “Good!” He said. “Thank you, my dear.”

 

“Shall we punish  _ Tiger Lily _ for Neverland bringing in the fuzz?” Zelena asked.

 

“No, I’m in a good mood,” the Captain said. “I think I’ll let them off the hook.”

 

Zelena huffed and rolled her eyes at the pun.

  
  


* * *

 

 

Captain Geppetto had never felt so frustrated.

 

Mere minutes after the  _ Tiger Lily _ had reached the area proscribed by “Captain Hook” two inflatable boats full of heavily armed commandos wearing all black fatigues and balaclavas had pulled alongside and boarded the ship and dispersed to vital areas. Six of them had stormed onto the bridge. Their leader, identifiable only by the color of his eyes and his English accent, instructed everyone in the space to remain at their stations, obey their orders and wait for word from their captain. They hadn’t been abusive or tyrannical, allowing conversation and trips to the head, but they were incredibly vigilant, leaving no room for even the thought of trying to regain control of the space. That meant Geppetto and his crew had no choice but to stand around for hours doing nothing but wait for a strange voice on the radio to determine their fates.

 

It was a relief for the communications officer to announce, “Sir! Captain Hook on ship-to-ship!”

 

Geppetto went over and took the receiver. “Well?”

 

“Good news, Captain!” Hook said. “We’ve received our payment in a timely manner, so we’ll be out of your hair in short order. I’m relaying that information to my men as we speak.”

 

Geppetto looked over to the commando leader. He had a finger to his left ear and seemed to be listening intently. “That is good news,” he said to Hook. “The sooner the better.”

 

“Agreed. Now, as soon as my men are back in their craft and out of sight, you may restart your engines and get back on course. I will cause no more interference with your ship’s systems.”

 

As Hook spoke, the commandos retreated from the bridge in military order. The leader was the last to depart, offering a jaunty wave to Geppetto before stepping through the hatch.

 

“Finally, Captain, I do offer my sincere apoloogies for the inconvenience. Have a pleasant rest of the night.”

 

Hook broke off contact after that, leaving Geppetto standing there seething.

 

_ Inconvenience, indeed!  _

  
  


* * *

  
  


Cahill and TMG’s executives had reconvened in the conference room. The Interpol man was on his cell phone listening to someone report on the trace’s progress. “Yes...yes, I understand. I’ll report in soon.”  He hung up and spoke to the others. “No luck. Our people tried to track the money but our systems were hacked. We recovered them, but lost track of the funds.”

 

“Wonderful!” Fiona said. “So we’ve lost more than a billion pounds to no purpose!”

 

“The purpose was to save the lives of the people aboard the  _ Tiger Lily _ ,” Gold reminded her.

 

“And you’ve done that,” Cahill said. “Neverland’s informed us that communications have been restored with the ship and her cap’n says the pirates that boarded have departed and the control systems are functioning normally.”

 

“Alert the media…” Fiona muttered.

 

“Actually, that’s the one thing we can’t do…” Gold reminded her.

 

“I was  _ joking! _ ” Fiona said, exasperated.

 

“Shall we ajourn??” Lady Tremaine said loud enough to forestall any further exchange. When Gold and Fiona stood down, she turned to Cahill. “Well, Mr. Cahill, if there’s anything else we can do for you, please don’t hesitate to call.”

 

Cahill shook hands with her as he said, “You have my thanks and the thanks of my agency.” Then he shook hands with Fiona and Gold and left the conference room.

 

“Well,” Gold said, “with that done, I intend to return to my bed and resume getting some much needed sleep.”

 

“Yes, we all should,” Fiona said, “given how much work it will take to clean up this mess you made.”

 

Now Lady Tremaine was exasperated. “It was  _ my  _ decision, Fiona. Let us not be petty. When we return later today we will make the necessary adjustments to Neverland’s policy and discuss our exposure with Legal. For now, we will indeed follow Mr. Gold’s fine example and retire.” She headed toward the door with that, saying in passing, “Good night, Mr. Gold.”

 

Actually it was definitely “Good Morning,” but he didn’t bother to correct her. “Good night, Milady,” he said with a friendly smile. He followed her out the door and headed in the opposite direction in the hall. There were a few things he wanted to get from his office before he left for good.

 

After a moment or two Fiona fell in step with him as he walked. “You’re lucky her ladyship managed to stay in a good mood,” she hissed at him. “You’ve cost the company dearly tonight, and I intend to make sure the Board understand that it was all your doing.”

 

“Do your worst, Fiona,” Gold said calmly. “It’s never worked for you before, but maybe  _ this _ time will be the charm.”

 

He smiled as the comment stopped her in her tracks while he continued on.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Later in the day, across the ocean, it was a sunny and clear morning in McLean, Virginia as Emma pulled her bug into Cora’s circular drive. She was wearing her Summer White uniform for this visit. No uniform was necessary, really, since she was on leave until departure, but she felt like showing off a little.

 

She walked up the steps and rang the doorbell, standing at ease while she waited for someone to answer. It didn’t take long, and when the door opened it revealed Cora’s butler, Sheridan, a tall, dignified man with gray at the temples. He smiled on seeing Emma. “Good Morning, Miss Swan,” He said. “I’m afraid Mrs. Mills is out at the moment…”

 

_ Good _ , Emma thought, then she said, “That’s okay. I was really hoping to see Henry.”

 

Sheridan nodded and stepped aside. “Please come in.”

 

Emma thanked him and stepped through the door. As he closed it behind her, Sheridan said, “Master Henry and Miss Archer are out back. This way, please.”

 

Emma followed Sheridan through the (admittedly) beautiful house to the patio doors and then out onto the patio. Emma spotted Henry and Merida as soon as they were outside. The pair had set up a makeshift archery range on the sprawling back lawn, with a red and white bull’s eye painted on poster board and secured to the back fence, placing the target on the far side of the pool. Henry and Merry were on the near side, standing on the cabana. Merry had her bow, and a quiver of arrows standing beside her. Henry was wearing swim trunks and sandals. Merry had on a sleeveless, cropped sports top and a  _ very _ tiny pair of string bikini bottoms.

 

_ Damn, _ Emma thought as she admired the view while dreading what thoughts such attire might be putting in Henry’s head.

 

“Master Henry,” Sheridan said as he and Emma stepped down from the patio, “Miss Swan is here to see you.”

 

Both Henry and Merry turned and smiled at her. “Thanks, Sheridan!” Henry said, then he covered the distance between himself and Emma in a few strides and caught her in a close hug. Sheridan nodded and went back inside as they embraced.

 

“How ya doin’, Kid?” Emma asked when they parted. “Having a good time at your grandma’s?”

 

“The best,” Henry said. “Merry was just showing me her form.”

 

Emma glanced at Merry and turned back to Henry with an arched eyebrow. “I can see that,” she said.

 

Merry giggled and Henry rolled his eyes. “Her  _ archery _ form, Emma! You know, how to stand, how to aim…”

 

“You can call it whatever you like. I’m not here to judge.”

 

Henry rolled his eyes again and said, “So why are you…?” That’s when he noticed the gold oak leaf on Emma’s lapel. “Hey...you made Commander!”

 

Emma grinned. “Yep! I got promoted yesterday.”

 

“That’s great! Does Mom know?”

 

“I’m sure she does.”

 

“Sure? You didn’t tell her yourself?”

 

“Well, I figured my new rank would be included in her copy of my orders.”

 

“Why would she get a copy of your orders?”

 

Emma shrugged. “She is my new commanding officer, after all…”

 

“Wait...really?”

 

“Yeah, that’s the main reason I wanted to come see you, to tell you that I won’t be able to visit you because I’m shipping out, and my new assignment’s aboard  _ Storybrooke _ .”

 

Henry laughed. “That’s fantastic! I’ve always wondered what it would be like for you two to be in the same crew! Now you can tell me when you get back!”

 

Emma felt that sense of dread coming on. “I’m sure it will be a memorable experience…”

 

* * *

  
  
  
“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Ingrid said.

 

“I don’t know why you’re surprised,” Regina said. “It was your idea.” Regina was in her quarters Skype-ing with Ingrid again, and she’d just told the other woman about Emma’s impending arrival.

 

“I was joking when I said you should make her your T-A-O,” Ingrid said. “I never thought you’d actually haul off and do it!”

 

“ _ I _ didn’t do it. The Navy did it  _ to me _ .”

 

“So what are you going to do?”

 

“I don’t know. My options are limited, and the only ones that come readily to mind feel like overkill.”

 

“Well, would it really be so bad?”

 

“I still haven’t forgiven her, and even if I had, the nature of our relationship would make serving together...complicated.”

 

“It shouldn’t, not these days anyway.”

 

“I don’t mean in the typical sense, We…”

 

Just then two siren blasts sounded from the ship’s speakers, followed by David’s voice: “This is the X-O! General Quarters, General Quarters, all hands man Anti-Surface Battle Stations! All hands man Anti-Surface Battle Stations! This is a drill!”

 

“Gotta go, Ingrid!” Regina said. She clicked off as she rose from her desk.

 

She emerged from her quarters into a corridor where Fire and Damage control parties were rushing to get to ready stations throughout the ship. The crew members still made way for her, so she had no trouble getting to the Bridge in a hurry.

 

“Captain on the Bridge!” The helmsman called out.

 

“As you were!” Regina called back as she made her way to the Captain’s Chair. Kathryn arrived as she was sitting down and took over the bridge from the OOD.

 

David’s voice sounded over the speakers again. “Status Reports, all stations!” He was in command of the ship, running things from CIC. For this exercise Regina was merely an observer.

 

The speakers then filled with readiness reports from each station aboard as the crew prepared to fight a surface warfare battle. When it was the Bridge’s turn, Kathryn got on the mic herself to report, “Bridge manned and ready! Navigator has the deck and the conn!”

 

When all sections had reported ready David got the exercise fully underway.  “Launch the Alert-Five aircraft and bring Fox One to plus five.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


R.G. Fairy and Tina Bell were back at their control stations in the starboard hangar bay. “That’s our cue, Boss,” Tina said.

 

R.G. watched the deck officer’s hand signal through the MQ-8C’s video systems. When he gave the “power-up” signal she pushed the throttle to the stops and the drone’s rotors sped up to take-off speed. The drone took off a moment later, and R.G. slipped it to port and gained altitude and speed to transit to the chopper’s initial point.

 

As R.G. flew, Tina reported to CIC. “Strike, Girl Scout headed to I-P and awaiting tasking.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


As the Fire Scout took off, deck crew in the port hangar bay were rushing to get the Seahawk ready for flight. Last minute maintenance checks were completed and the aircraft was pushed out onto the flight deck. The goal was to get it ready to fly within five minutes of being given the order to launch, so as the plane crew worked to get the craft fully deployed, red-shirted ordnance crew rolled out the helicopter’s anti-ship package, which consisted of Hellfire Anti-Ship missiles and their tracking system.

 

Sidney and Archie were fully in their flight gear and walking out to the Seahawk moments after the craft was fully set up and loaded. They did a quick but thorough walkaround and got on board. They completed their pre-flight checks in record time, and as Sidney powered up the Seahawk’s engines, Archie radioed the ship. “Strike, Fox One is at Alert-Five.” The order to launch came immediately afterward. The deck officer signaled and Sidney throttled the engines up, and soon the Seahawk was off the deck to join the Fire Scout at the initial point.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The centerpiece of the ship’s Aegis Fire Control System was the Naval Tactical Data System display through which battlespace information was relayed. The main display was in CIC, but there was a smaller repeater display on the Bridge. Regina was concentrating on that repeater as small icons representing the helicopters separated and pulled away from the icon that represented  _ Story Brooke _ . Regina took note of the time at the bottom of the screen.

 

Once the helicopters started circling at a point over the ocean to the Northeast, David’s voice came over the speakers again. “A-C One, vector Girl Scout to Alpha Station and have them pop-up and go active on surface search.”

 

Another voice came on, young, female, presumably the senior Air Controller. “A-C One, Aye.” A pause, then: “Girl Scout, Strike, proceed to Alpha Station, wavetop level, speed is ‘Buster.’ Pop-up on station and go active on surface search.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Girl Scout, Aye,” Tina radioed back. “Proceeding to Alpha Station…”

 

As she acknowledged the orders, R.G. steadily lowered the drone to a few meters above the surface of the ocean, then she yawed right a few degrees and angled the rotors forward while pushing the throttle to the stops. The Fire Scout transited at full speed to a point ten miles ahead off  _ Story Brooke’ _ s starboard bow. Once there, R.G. changed the rotor angle again and the Fire Scout rose straight up into the air. R.G. slowed to a hover at five thousand feet, then said to Tina, “Angels fifty.”

 

“Girl Scout going active on surface search,” Tina radioed as she powered up the drone’s surface search radar.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The display Regina was watching changed dramatically a moment later. With the ship’s and helicopters’ radars set to “passive,” the area surrounding them seemed practically empty, with only a handful of nearby contacts visible. When the drone went active more than a dozen new surface contacts appeared within the sensor’s range. Each was assigned the identity “Sierra” and given a number.

 

Regina smiled slightly. Girl Scout now had real work to do.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“You know what’s coming,” Tina said.

 

“I know,” R.G. said.

 

And then it came. “Girl Scout, Strike, V-I-D Sierra One-One through Two-Six and return to station, over.”

 

“Girl Scout, Aye,” Tina radioed back, then she asked R.G., “Number order or by distance?”

 

“Surprise me,” R.G. said.

 

“Distance it is. Closest is Sierra Two-Zero.”

 

R.G. flew the drone at altitude toward the contact while Tina worked the optical sensor controls. Soon they had a good, long-range view of the ship in question, and R.G. began to circle it from above while Tina zoomed in.

 

“Strike, Girl Scout,” Tina radioed, “V-I-D Sierra Two-Zero as Motor Vessel _ Canada _ , New York registry, Arendelle Cruise Lines markings. Proceeding to Sierra Two-Three.”

 

R.G. went to the next contact, which turned out to be a liquified natural gas transport. Tina radioed, “Strike, V-I-D Sierra Two-Three as Motor Vessel  _ Roxxon Regency _ , L-N-G carrier, Houston registry. Proceeding to Sierra Two-Two.”

 

This contact piqued Tina’s interest, because while her decks were stacked with modern, rectangular shipping containers she had the lines of a Liberty ship. “Hey there, old timer,” she said softly before reporting, “Strike, V-I-D Sierra Two-Two as Motor Vessel  _ Clock Tower _ , container ship, Dublin registry. Proceeding to Sierra Two-One.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Contacts displayed on the NTDS were categorized using both colors and shapes. Friendlies were sky-blue circles and half-circles, Unknowns were yellow squares, Neutrals were green plus signs and Hostiles were red-orange diamonds. All the new surface contacts had started out as yellow squares. As Girl Scout identified each one it changed color. In the end, all but two were changed to green plus signs, meaning they were neutral non-combatants. The other two became blue circles. One was an old  _ Perry _ -class frigate currently operated by the Royal Canadian Navy. The other was a German Navy corvette. None were identified as Hostile.

 

That would soon change, as the next phase of the drill required a target. Regina wondered which one David would pick.

 

She got her answer a second later. “Redesignating Sierra Two-Two as  _ Skunk _ Two-Two,” David said, and at that moment the icon representing the old cargo ship changed from a green square to a red-orange diamond. “A-C One, clear Fox One to simulate attack on Skunk Two-Two.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Aboard the Seahawk, Archie and Sidney heard, “Fox One, Strike, you are cleared to simulate attack on Skunk Two-Two.”

 

“Roger, Strike,” Archie radioed, then: “Girl Scout, Fox One, reacquire Skunk Two-Two and prepare to illuminate the target. Fox One is inbound with anti-surface ordnance.”

 

Sidney dropped the helicopter to wavetop level and sped toward Alpha Station.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The drone was almost back at Alpha Station when Archie made the call. “Roger that, Fox One,” Tina radioed back, “Girl Scout is inbound Skunk Two-Two and will illuminate.”

 

“That was quick,” R.G. muttered as she turned the drone.

 

“Quick enough,” Tina replied as she powered up the drone’s laser targeting system.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Sidney used Alpha Station as a waypoint, turning when he reached it to head straight for the old cargo ship. Now there were two helicopters bearing down on it from different angles and altitudes.

 

When the Seahawk reached point-blank range for the Hellfire ASMs, Sidney nodded to Archie.

 

“Girl Scout, Fox One,” Archie radioed, “illuminate the target, now, now, now!”

 

“Roger, Fox One!” Tina’s voice replied.

 

Sidney angled the rotors and sent the Seahawk into a vertical climb. As the aicraft rose he waited to hear the electronic tone that said the Hellfires had locked onto the laser basket Girl Scout was bouncing off the freighter. It started as a warble, then a staccato beeping. When it became a high-pitched, steady tone, Sidney reported the endgame himself.

 

“Fox One taking Skunk Two-Two...Birds Away!”

 

“And, _ fwoosh-fwoosh _ ,” Archie muttered. In an actual attack Sidney would have squeezed the trigger on the collective twice in rapid succession, sending the two missiles the Seahawk carried into the flank of the target. For the simulation the weapons were there but remained unarmed.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Strike, Girl Scout is closing on target for BDA,” Tina said. At this stage of the attack one of the helicopters would approach the target to make the “Bomb Damage Assessment,” a military catch-all phrase for how badly the bad guy got blown up. Of course, nothing actually happened to the  _ Clock Tower _ , so it was up to Tina and R.G. to estimate what would have happened. This was actually easy, because by tying the laser designator in to the optical system, the girls could see exactly where the missiles would have impacted.

 

“Oh for joy, for joy!” Tina said with a goofy grin and clasped hands. “We have sunk yon mighty cargo ship and drowned its expensive cargo, verily! Are you not overjoyed, my Blue Fairy boss??”

 

R.G. just hit her with a sidelong glare and huffed. “Just make the damn report.”

 

“Spoilsport,” Tina muttered, then she radioed, “Strike, Skunk Two-Two is heavily damaged amidships and listing to port. She’s hulled by the waterline and taking on water…”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Regina had seen and heard enough. She got up from her chair and went back to the 1MC and switched it to “All Stations.” “This is the Captain,” she said. “Stand down from General Quarters. Repeat: Stand down from General Quarters. Resume standard watch throughout the ship and recover all aircraft. All department heads will report to the Wardroom in one hour for exercise report and evaluation. That is all.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


An hour later, after David had finished giving a rundown of the drill, including readiness times, Regina stood and addressed the gathering. “We’re good, but we’re not at our best yet, people. I feel I need to impress upon you how important an evolution like this can be. Because of the nature of our standard loadout, a Hellfire-armed helo represents a significant percentage of our total Surface Warfare capability, and in a battle, if we take damage to one or both of our VLS arrays, getting that helo into the air and heading for a target may make the difference between surviving and being sunk. Under those circumstances, our performance today is far from adequate. Pass the word on to your subordinates and chiefs: we  _ will  _ get those reaction times down. Any questions?” No one had any. “Very well, dismissed.”

 

All the other officers left the room, but David hung back. “There was one thing, Captain,” he said. “After we’d stood down in Combat one of the electronic warfare guys reported to me that he’d had a fleeting E-C-M contact at just about the moment that Girl Scout lit up the  _ Clock Tower _ .”

 

“Fleeting?” Regina said. “How ‘fleeting’?”

 

“It came and went before he could report it, so he assumed it was a glitch or something.”

 

“Maybe, maybe not. It could have been electronic interference from either the Canadian or German ships’ countermeasures suites.”

 

“Possibly…”

 

Regina thought about it. “Still, might as well be thorough. Have Mary Margaret get somebody to see if there’s a malfunction in that station in Combat. If they don’t find any problem, it’s likely that the contact was just some random electronic noise from another ship nearby.”

 

“Okay, but how likely do you think that is?”

 

Regina chuckled. “Look at it this way: which is more likely? Random noise or the possibility that a seventy-year-old tramp steamer has modern jamming equipment?”

 

David smiled at that. “Right. I’ll have Mary Margaret look into the station.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Killian Jones, a.k.a. “Captain Hook,” could be forgiven if he’d wanted to sleep the day away. He’d had a busy night, after all. Then again, so had Zelena West, and the fact had not stopped either of them from getting together and celebrating their victory in Killian’s quarters. So wine was drunk, war stories were exchanged, and the real celebrating commenced. Zelena was not wrong. She was a devastatingly beautiful woman, and Killan took advantage of every opportunity to see her naked, embrace her passionately and conquer her physically. Of course, the desire was mutual, as Zelena’s always-eager participation demonstrated, and so the night’s exertions extended into the daytime as Zelena and Killian’s bodies moved and sweated and joined together over and over in the captain’s way-too-small-for-two bed.

 

Still, sleep did come for both of them, and it was early evening when Killian opened his eyes again. He’d been awakened by the ringtone of his cell phone. He’d considered letting it ring, since it was across the room from the bed, but ultimately decided he needed to get up anyway, so he did.

  
The movement made Zelena stir. “Who’s that…?” She said groggily.

 

Killian checked the display and smirked. “It’s the crocodile.” Then he hit the “accept” contact. “Jones.”

 

“You slipped up,” a familiar Scottish voice hissed at him.

 

Killian rolled his eyes. “And a pleasant good evening to you too.”

 

“You’d do well to watch your tone with me, pirate. You’re getting sloppy.”

 

“What the devil are you talking about?”

 

“I’m talking about your latest ‘special project.’”

 

“What about it? It went off without a hitch.”

 

“Really? Then perhaps you’d care to explain why my company had to entertain a man from Interpol who’s taken it upon himself to track you down?”

 

Killian cursed silently, then said, “All right...it is possible that Interpol tried to track the money as it was transferred…”

 

“Possible?? I was there to watch him get it started!”

 

“And they failed! Zelena worked her magic and threw off the trace, so what’s your problem, mate?”

 

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but when you came to me to fund your little off-book enterprise you assured me there would be a certain amount of discretion factored into your operations. Namely, you wouldn’t take any action that might lead back to me.”

 

“And I’ve kept my word!”

 

“Have you? Is that what you call hijacking a ship insured by the people I work for???”

 

“Does anyone suspect you of being involved? No! If they did, you’d already be in handcuffs! Your Interpol man came to ask for your  _ help _ , right? He doesn’t suspect you of being involved, and just working for _ Tiger Lily _ ’s insurer won’t make you a suspect!”

 

“And that happy circumstance might change at any moment. All it requires is some dedicated inspector using his imagination.” Killian heard the other man take a calming breath. “In future, all I ask is that you consider being more thorough in making sure I’m not connected in even the slightest way with your actions.”

 

Killian pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Fine...look, why don’t you try to see the positive? We got the money. Interpol didn’t stop us, and your cut should already be in your account. Why don’t you open it up and start counting?”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Back across the ocean, in a luxurious apartment overlooking the city, Rupert Gold sighed with frustration. “Just remember what I said.” After that he ended the call, then he used his phone to access a secret offshore account and check the balance. He smiled. For all the pirate’s faults, he was effective, and the return Gold was getting on his initial investment was staggering.

 

But he couldn’t rely on Jones’s assurances to protect him. Fortunately, he had other safeguards in place...


End file.
